Vancouver Island – Island Health is making it much easier for patients to understand how and when to take their medication and at the same time freeing up valuable medical staff time. A video series, available at islandhealth.ca instructs patients on best practices for taking six commonly prescribed medications.
Island Health pharmacy, and heart health teams joined forces to create the content for the videos. In an average year, Island Health pharmacies fill more than 160,000 orders for these medications. This new approach to patient education, allow people the freedom to view the videos at their convenience, rewind and review specific messages if necessary and bring family members into the education process so that people are supported whether they’re in a hospital or at home.
“Taking prescribed medications routinely and consistently is critical in supporting patient recovery and promoting disease management,” explains Dr. Peter Gladstone, Island Health Medical Director of Heart Health. “While the series was initially intended for hospital patients, by making the videos available on our public site we can support patients (and their families) who are living with heart disease in every community we serve.”
“Having one message delivered by one pharmacist in the video series ensures all patients receive the same consistent and thorough understanding of how best to manage their own medications,” said Dr. Sean Spina, Island Health Coordinator of Clinical Pharmacy Services. “When families or friends also have questions about medication, the answers are available on our website which will create greater awareness and support a team-based medication management approach.”
Island Health chose the six most commonly prescribed heart-related medications for its initial video education series. They are:
- Warfarin to treat blood clots
- Statins to lower bad cholesterol
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to treat high blood pressure and heart failure
- Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs) to treat high blood pressure and heart failure
- Beta Blockers to reduce blood pressure
- Direct Oral Anti-Coagulant (DOACs) for the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism and to reduce the risk of stroke
The video series was funded by donors to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation and in cooperation with Island Health’s Distributed Multimedia Systems and the Patient Voices Network.
Media inquiries
Meribeth Burton
250-519-1815
Meribeth.burton@islandhealth.ca