MedActionPlan News

Using a Medication Schedule to Manage Multiple Patients

by CRoss 14. May 2010 16:48

Discover a new way to remind yourself or your patients to take medications utilizing email and text messaging.

 

To find a free service that allows you to design a medication schedule and remind you to take your medication go to http://www.mymedschedule.com.

If you’re a caregiver or you have multiple people in your home that need medicine, keeping your schedules and medicines organized can become somewhat difficult. The internet now has great resources to ensure that every gets their medicine refilled when necessary and takes it on time. 

The best electronic medication schedules have all the bells and whistles to help you take the correct medicine at the right time of day. They are also simple enough for anyone to use, so you won’t have to worry about confusion. The programs will often have walkthroughs or demo versions, so you can see how the scheduler is going to work before you have to fill in all the information. 

If a caregiver has multiple patients, it might be difficult to keep all the medication schedules straight. You can schedule reminders to come to you by e-mail and cell phone, and you can even have these reminders sent straight to the patients, so they can take the proper medication when you aren’t there to administer to it. You can also print out schedules that have photos of what the medicine looks like, so the patient won’t be taking the wrong one.

You can also print out these schedules, so that if a person has multiple caregivers they can write down what medication was taken and when. Multiple people can monitor the health of a patient with an electronic and paper schedule. A caregiver can initial by the proper medication and go on with her life. 

Patients can also take their medicine schedules to the doctor and work with them about changing different medications and refilling the ones you need. They can help you weigh the pros and cons of getting name brand medication or generic brands that generally cost less. They can also help you decide which medicines are best for your medical insurance to help you save money. 

Medication schedules also work with pets as well. If you have multiple animals that have recently been to the vet, they may need a certain medication regimen. Animals and pets can’t tell you when it’s time to take their meds, so it’s important to use a medication schedule to make sure that you get them the right medicine, mix it in with their food, or drop it onto their coat. 

If you have a medication regimen and so does your husband, it might be difficult to determine whose medication goes to whom. If you have to take a medication early in the morning, you might grab the wrong one before you put your glasses on. A medication schedule will show you what your medicine looks like so you don’t take the wrong one. 

If you have multiple people in your family that need medical attention and care, a medication schedule is the perfect way to keep track of everything. If you’re a caregiver it can make your life a lot easier. No matter the reason, electronic medication schedules are a great way to stay organized.

 

Very pleased user recommends MyMedSchedule site to family members

by DBrooten 11. May 2010 12:07

Denny McGinnis of Sioux City, Iowa recently shared this with his family through myfamily.com:

CHECK IT OUT—IT'S FREE
http://www.mymedschedule.com

This is something any of you retirees, non-retirees, or anyone who takes quite a few meds might be interested in.

I have quite a laundry list of meds, and keeping up on when it is time to refill them, or to get a new written prescription, has proven at times, quite a chore when they all expire at different times.

With this online program, which is FREE, you can elect to get an automated email message, text message on your cell phone, or both, when it’s time to take your meds, when it’s time to refill them, and when it’s time to ask the doctor for a new written prescription. You can print out your med schedule—regular sized paper, or wallet size for your next visit to the doctor. You can edit the dosage, time of day, or delete the meds that the doctor recommends you stop taking.

When I set up my med schedule, I elected to only have email messages sent to me to remind me to refill/get a new prescription. In the month since I set it up, I have received 4 alert/ reminder emails.

I am very pleased with this service.

Just a few words to express my gratitude for MyMedSchedule

by DBrooten 10. May 2010 08:42
“I have 15 different meds that naturally come due to refill at different times. I was having a difficult time keeping up with when to get a new scrip, or simply forgetting to order a refill. I was constantly counting pills, and still having errors in receiving and taking my meds.
 
“I have been using your plan for three weeks now, and have already received three notifications by email that it's time to get a new scrip from the doctor. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
 
“Recently I took a copy of MyMedSchedule to my doctor, showed her and her nurses what the plan can do. They were all impressed with it, as they have many patients in my circumstances.”
 
Denny McGinnis
Sioux City, Iowa

Medication Schedules for the Technologically Impaired

by CRoss 10. May 2010 07:49

How to use computers to easily remind yourself when to take medications. Easy for even the novice computer user.

To find a free tool that reminds you to take your medication go to http://www.mymedschedule.com.

While technology has provided us with a variety of ways to communicate, accomplish daily tasks, and keep ourselves safe, there are still those who don’t feel comfortable using computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. This can cause for a rift in communication and can make it harder for the technologically impaired to accomplish their daily tasks. 

If you know someone who is technologically impaired that is on a number of medications, you know they probably have some sort of strange and cumbersome ritual to make sure they take all the right medications everyday. They might have one of those medication organizers with the compartments for every day of the week. They might have a post-it note that tells them they have taken their medicine for the day. Some people even flip their prescription bottle upside down to tell them they have taken their medicine for the day. 

There are easier ways for people to remember to take their medications. If you are handy with technology, and you know someone who could use a little bit of help, you could show them the ropes of an online medication schedule. If you’re willing to guide them through all of the steps to making a medication schedule, they might be willing to listen. Also, it might be a good idea to try and get their doctor on board to encourage them that this is a great way to remember to take the right medicine. 

A medication schedule isn’t just about what medicines to take on what day. The more medicines you take the more complex your schedule becomes. You need to know how many pills to take at what time of day, and medication schedules will also tell you what each pill looks like and when you should get it refilled. Medication schedules make it easy for you whether you take generic brand medications or have a name brand prescription. Online medication schedules have many benefits that cannot compare to a pill organizer with compartments. 

Even if you just print out a scheduled for your loved one, you can still help them to get the full benefits of using an online medication schedule without having to “give in” to technology. People who are technology impaired are usually that way by choice. They don’t want to change their lifestyle to incorporate complex electronic devices. So, if you simply print out their weekly or monthly schedule for them, you’ll be doing them a great favor. 

While not everyone has the time and the skills to use an online medication schedule, their benefits really outweigh any setbacks. You can get medication reminders sent to your e-mail, cell phone, or sign on everyday to make sure all of your medications are in order and none of them need to be refilled. You can also talk to your doctor about creating and maintaining a medication schedule that works for you. Even if you’re technologically impaired, maybe your doctor can print out a schedule for you.

Electronic Medicine Schedules: A New Way To Remember To Take Your Medicine

by CRoss 30. April 2010 15:10

Why an electronic medicine schedule can help remind you to take your medication. Make it easy for yourself by reminding yourself via text messaging and email, learn free ways to utilize this technology. 

To find a free medication chart scheduling services and reminding services via text and email go to http://www.mymedschedule.com.

With advancements in technology and healthcare, there are also advancements in the way medication and treatment is administered to patients. The whole world is connected these days, and no matter what your age, you are probably connected in some way to others. Diabetics have electronic meters that can tell them their blood sugar with the press of a button. Medical and dental records can be sent over the internet is people move or want to change doctors. There is also an easier way to remember to take your medication.

If you’re a young person that has a disease, it might be hard for you to feel like a “normal” person sometimes. You have to remember what medicines to take and when to take them, and sometimes they can conflict with your plans as a kid or teenager. What if there was an easier way? By creating an electronic medicine schedule, you can be reminded to take your medications with a simple beep on your cell phone. You can discreetly carry the medicine you need in your purse or car, and when your phone goes off, no one will be able to tell whether you’re getting a text message or a reminder to take your meds.

Electronic medicine schedules can be set up on the internet. You can print out a paper schedule if you’re not always by a computer. If you need some help filling out your schedule, you can take it to your local doctor and work together to create a schedule that works for you. Most electronic medicine schedule websites allow you to utilize all the popular social media outlets to keep you healthy. You can join groups on Facebook and Twitter that can give you helpful links about the latest in medical technology and how to stay well.

Even if you only have one medication to take daily, it could be an important one, such as birth control. A daily reminder on your phone or computer will help you to remember to take it. Maybe you work in an office and spend the whole day on the computer. If you have an e-mail reminder that pops up midday, you’ll remember to take your pills, even if you’re up to your eyebrows in important paperwork.

If you’re a caretaker or you have a relative who isn’t into technology, you can create a schedule for them to help them remember to take their medicine. Even if you’re the one creating the schedule, a simple landline call to grandma or grandpa could help them remember to take their medication.

Electronic medicine schedules are all about what works for you. You can choose to be reminded by e-mail, text, or print out your schedule. You can get it in a number of different languages. Some schedules even allow you to post a picture of what particular pills look like, so you won’t confuse any of your medications. With a number of options, electronic medicine schedules are a great way to stay well.

Med-OK-tion

by DBrooten 26. April 2010 15:36
Taking more than 1 type of medication? Confused about how much, of which color, at what time? If so, you or your caretaker, must listen carefully.

TryThisTip.com also says MyMedSchedule is a “fabulous FREE organizational tool for recording and updating all information relating to the administration of medication.” View the whole post.

I found MyMedSchedule.com to be the most important reminder tool that I can use

by DBrooten 1. April 2010 09:45

“As a new kidney transplant recipient, I found MyMedSchedule.com to be the most important reminder tool that I can use to adhere to my doctor-prescribed medication schedule. It is now my duty to follow my doctor’s orders to the letter if I want to keep my new kidney from rejecting. By having the assistance of a well organized printed schedule, I can follow it to the letter.”

—Jeffrey P. Lerer
San Ramon, CA.

MyMedSchedule Goes Camping

by DBrooten 1. April 2010 09:28
Camp Twin Lakes is an Atlanta, GA based network of camps providing life-changing programs for kids with serious illnesses, disabilities and other challenges. We're happy to hear that MyMedSchedule helps fulfill that mission. Nyleta Wallace, Director of New Camp Programs, says “I have been using MyMedSchedule for our campers for several years and cannot thank you enough! It is a blessing to our camp people!”

On Your Own With Multiple Meds

by DBrooten 19. March 2010 15:20

The Center for Advancing Health has published an article exploring strategies for people with chronic illnesses to deal with the large number of medications they take:

“As complicated as it can be, taking your medications correctly really matters. Taking medications incorrectly can threaten your very ability to live independently. ‘Medication non-adherence contributes … to 23 percent of all nursing home admissions,’ the [Center for Technology and Aging] report says.”

 The article includes tips and links to online tools like MyMedSchedule that help make it easier to manage multiple medications. Read the article.

MedActionPlan for Heart Failure

by DBrooten 2. March 2010 09:43
“This is an excellent tool for Patient Education. I can incorporate technology into my classes especially for the children. Thank You”

Stephanie Williams
Princess Margaret Hospital