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Welcome to asklistentalk.ca – your home for Canadian Patient Safety Week!

Canadian Patient Safety Week #asklistentalk runs October 29 to November 2, 2018. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute invites all Canadians – the public, providers and leaders – to become involved in making patient safety a priority.

This year we are focusing on Medication Safety, with the goal of reducing medication errors across Canada. Our theme is Not All Meds Get Along, prompting patients and healthcare professionals to seek medication reviews for at-risk populations.

The medication crisis:

• An estimated 37% of seniors in nine provinces received a prescription for a drug that should not be taken by this population.
• 2 out of 3 Canadians (66%) over the age of 65 take at least 5 different prescription medications – while 27% take at least 10 different prescription medications.
• In 2016, 1 in 143 Canadian seniors were hospitalized due to harmful effects of their medication.

Should you ask for a medication review?

• Are you, or is someone you know, on five or more medications?
• Have you, or someone you know, been recently discharged from the hospital?
• Are you concerned about the side effects you're experiencing or seeing in a loved one?

Note that patients over the age of 65 are at higher risk from medication complications. #NotAllMedsGetAlong

What can you do?

Patients and caregivers can ask their doctor, nurse or pharmacist for a medication review. Use the 5 Questions to Ask About Your Medications to guide your conversation.

Healthcare providers can recommend a medication review if their patients are at risk. Three quarters of Canadians surveyed are interested in learning how to keep safe in healthcare, with 8 in 10 saying they would like to receive this information from a healthcare provider.

Healthcare leaders can support policies that result in safer medication practices. Join us in the World Health Organization's Medication Without Harm Global Challenge

Sign up HERE to find out how you can help during Canadian Patient Safety Week, October 29 – November 2! Whether you are a member of the public, a healthcare provider, or leader, we have ways you can help prevent harm and promote medication safety.

Canadian Patient Safety Week Events

• New series of our award winning PATIENT podcasts
• Medication Safety Webinar
• "Caption This" Comic Challenge with terrific prizes
• Medication Safety Quizzes - one for the public, one for healthcare providers!
• Virtual Screening & Twitter Talk Event of "Falling Through the Cracks: Greg's Story"

Please explore the Canadian Patient Safety Week links for Tools & Resources, including our upcoming communications toolkit and tools for medication review. Discover stories of medication harm and our award-winning podcast series, PATIENT. We will continue to add new content: remember to sign up for updates and the information package HERE.

About

Canadian Patient Safety Week is a national, annual campaign that started in 2005 to inspire extraordinary improvement in patient safety and quality. As the momentum for promoting best practices in patient safety has grown, so has the participation in Canadian Patient Safety Week. Canadian Patient Safety week is relevant to anyone who engages with our healthcare system: providers, patients, and citizens. Working together, thousands help spread the message to Ask. Listen. Talk.

Sponsorship

The Canadian Patient Safety Institute invites you to join our network of Canadians – the public, healthcare providers and healthcare leaders – in making patient safety a priority. Click here to see the promotional and branding benefits associated with sponsoring Canadian Patient Safety Week. If your organization is interested in sponsoring CPSW 2018, please contact dcostigan@cpsi-icsp.ca.

Phone: (780) 409-8090
Toll free: 1-866-421-6933
Email: CPSW@cpsi-icsp.ca
Join the conversation at #asklistentalk​