SAFE Medication Management for Patients With Physical Impairments of Stroke, Part Two.

Purpose: Part one of this series addressed impairments of stroke affecting motor skills. This second article focuses on the sensory impairments of stroke as they affect medication management: vision, hearing, memory and thinking, communication, and emotional disturbances.

Design: Each impairment is discussed, and possible interventions are proposed.

SAFE Medication Management for Patients with Physical Impairments of Stroke, Part One.

Purpose: This article focuses on the extensive impairments of stroke and their influence on medication management. The impairments of motor skills due to paralysis-loss of mobility and balance, lack of hand-to-mouth coordination, and difficulty swallowing-are discussed. A future article will discuss sensory impairments of vision, hearing, cognition, comprehension, communication, and emotional disorders and how these impairments influence medication management.

Medication safety series: take charge!

Nurses have read the statistics on the numbers of prescription medications seniors take each day and the pitfalls and diverse problems that occur as a result. Various scenarios contribute to this problem: multiple healthcare providers prescribe medications; the use of over-the-counter products and herbs or alcohol cause medication interactions; and patients increase, decrease, skip, or repeat doses. When medications are not taken correctly, an increase in the number of physician or emergency department visits and hospitalizations results.