CVS/pharmacy Recognizes National Patient Safety Awareness Week
March 03 2006 - 1:23PM
PR Newswire (US)
WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS/pharmacy announced
today that it will take part in National Patient Safety Awareness
Week, which takes place this year from March 5 to March 11. The
company will broadcast prescription safety tips for customers
through its in-store radio network during the week of the campaign.
Experts believe that when patients are active participants in
asking questions and learning about their prescriptions, that
effort can play an important role in promoting medication safety.
Steps that customers can take include: 1. Talk to your doctor about
the brand and generic names of your prescription and how your
medication works. 2. Review the drug information sheet that comes
with your prescription for details about proper use, possible side
effects, activities to avoid, and what to do in case of a missed
dose. 3. Ask your pharmacist about any questions you have about the
medication, including dosage. 4. Have all your prescriptions filled
at the same pharmacy to enable the pharmacist to check your records
for medication interactions. "We are pleased to participate in
National Patient Safety Awareness Week by emphasizing to patients
and staff steps that can help ensure prescriptions are dispensed
accurately," said Papatya Tankut, RPh, Vice President of
Professional Pharmacy Services at CVS/pharmacy. CVS/pharmacy has
also recently entered into a multi-year relationship with the
Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a nationally
respected independent organization dedicated to promoting patient
safety. The company will be the first retail pharmacy to share
de-identified prescription data with ISMP, which can be used to
educate the pharmacy industry on factors that affect prescription
safety. ISMP will also provide consulting services to CVS/pharmacy,
including store visits, observations, and recommendations to ensure
continual quality improvement in filling prescriptions. All CVS
pharmacists will have access to ISMP newsletters on the latest
industry news dealing with safety issues. "ISMP is widely viewed as
the leading expert and independent voice for patient safety and we
are proud to announce our new relationship during National Patient
Safety Awareness Week," said Tankut. Patient Safety Awareness Week,
a program of the National Patient Safety Foundation, is an
education and awareness-building campaign for improving patient
safety at the local level. Healthcare organizations across the
country are encouraged to plan events to promote patient safety
within their own organizations. Educational activities are centered
on educating patients on how to become involved in their own health
care, as well as working with organizations to build partnerships
with their patient community. About CVS CVS Corporation is
America's largest retail pharmacy, operating more than 5,400 retail
and specialty pharmacy stores in 37 states and the District of
Columbia. With more than 40 years of dynamic growth in the retail
pharmacy industry, CVS is committed to being the easiest pharmacy
retailer for customers to use. CVS has created innovative
approaches to serve the healthcare needs of all customers through
its CVS/pharmacy stores; its online pharmacy, CVS.com; and its
pharmacy benefit management, mail order and specialty pharmacy
subsidiary, PharmaCare. General information about CVS is available
through the Investor Relations portion of the Company's website, at
http://investor.cvs.com/, as well as through the pressroom portion
of the Company's website, at http://www.cvs.com/pressroom. CONTACT:
Mike DeAngelis 401-770-2645 DATASOURCE: CVS/pharmacy CONTACT: Mike
DeAngelis of CVS Corporation, +1-401-770-2645 Web site:
http://www.cvs.com/
Copyright