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Health Sciences found that 88 percent of medicine errors involved the wrong drug or the wrong dose.

6.   If you have any questions about the directions on your medicine labels, ask.
Medicine labels can be hard to understand. For example, ask if "four doses daily" means taking a dose every 6 hours around the clock or just during regular waking hours.

7.   Ask your pharmacist for the best device to measure your liquid medicine. Ask questions if you're not sure how to use it.
Research shows that many people do not understand the right way to measure liquid medicines. For example, many use household teaspoons, which often do not hold a true teaspoon of liquid. Special devices, like marked syringes, help people to measure the right dose. Being told how to use the devices helps even more.

8.   Ask for written information about the side effects your medicine could cause, and read it.

If you know what might happen, you will be better prepared if it does--or, if something unexpected happens instead. That way, you can report the problem right away and get help before it gets worse. Written information about medicines can help patients recognize problem side effects and then give that information to their doctor or pharmacist. But an estimated three out of four patients throw out the medication leaflet stapled to the prescription bag without reading it.

9.  Use technology to assist you if you have vision or memory problems in taking your medication.
For example, talking prescription labels (Talking Rx from Millenium Compliance or Envision's ScripTalk), recording devices for prescription instructions (Asko Corporation's Aloud), and electronic pill organizers and reminders (Epill) are now being tested or are already on the market.  Read A Dose of Technology in this issue for more information.

10.  Read more about preventing all kinds of medical mistakes.  Add  online information about medical errors to your Health-Minder resources. A Federal report on medical errors can be accessed online, and a print copy (Publication No. OM 00-0004) is available from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse: phone, 1-800-358-9295 (outside the United States, please call 410-381-3150) or  E-mail: ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov.