Medication Use Safety Training Committee
University of the Pacific
Navigation
Additional Resources
About Us
The Medication Use Safety Training Committee, or MUST, is an educational committee under the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists-Pacific Chapter (ASCP-Pacific) at University of the Pacific's Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy in Stockton, CA.
Our committee is dedicated to providing an educational and interactive experience in which the public have the opportunity to inquire about their medications while receiving individualized assistance through the MUST ™ program. ASCP-MUST helps promote safe and appropriate medication use by helping participants avoid medication misuse, recognize and manage common side effects, and improve medication use knowledge, attitude, and skills to avoid medication errors.
June 2021 Safety Month
As part of June National Safety Month, MUST is hosting a social media campaign! We will be releasing weekly informational posts every Friday of the month with the goal of spreading awareness for and increasing community engagement with medication safety. Access all of our Safety Month resources and references here.
Campaigns and Intiatives
June 25, 2021
Check out the initiatives of these organizations to learn more ways you can learn more about medication safety and prevention of adverse drug events!
Medication Disposal
June 18, 2021
Proper medication disposal is a step that can be overlooked, but is still vital to safe utilization of medications. The best option is to find a drug disposal location, which may be found in community or clinic pharmacies and/or law enforcement facilities.
Adverse Drug Events
June 11, 2021
Adverse drug events (ADE’s) occur when a patient experiences harm after taking a medication. This can be due to a variety of reasons, such as taking the wrong dose, medication, or not taking the medication as directed. It is the cause of over 1 million emergency department visits and over 350,000 hospitalizations annually. For this reason, it is essential to understand the steps that can be taken to avoid an ADE:
1. Keep a list of all medications and directions prescribed to you by your physician
2. Follow the directions and take the medications as directed
3. Utilize safety caps for the vials and keep all medications out of children’s reach
4. Ask questions if you are unsure about how to take any medications
5. Do NOT share medications! Only take medications prescribed to you
Medication Safety Basics
June 4, 2021
When it comes to taking medications, there is no such thing as “completely safe”. All medicines have risks, whether it is from a prescription or over-the-counter. It is estimated that about 48.9% of patients use at least 1 prescription drug with 74% of doctor’s visits involving drug therapy. Among those patients, approximately 50% of those prescriptions are taken incorrectly. Some helpful tips that can help decrease those statistics include:
1. Reading the label carefully before you take your medications
2. Make sure you know HOW to take your medicine
3. Make sure you know WHEN to take your medications
4. Make sure to take your medications exactly as it is prescribed to you
5. Make sure to check the expiration dates
