Toolkit: Bingo, roleplaying, and "Rx Roulette" games prevent misuse of prescriptions

The Cardinal Health Foundation and The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy have just released an interactive toolkit called GenerationRx that assists health care providers, pharmacists, and community organizations with teaching their communities how to properly use prescription drugs. A partnership with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) seeks to promote the toolkit in the older populations to avoid medication-related problems and get the best results from medication. The focus on misuse prevention builds upon other toolkits that were aimed at abuse prevention.

Janice Feinberg, research director at the ASCP Foundation, shed some light on why the program is targeting an older demographic. What is not commonly known is that older adults are more than twice as likely to suffer an adverse drug event than younger generations and they are seven times more likely to be hospitalized from drug-related complications. This is due to the dangers of accidentally misusing a prescription drug, not from the intentional use of illicit ones. While prescribed medications are intended to promote longevity and good health, they can drastically damage health if not properly used.

 

Optimistic about the new toolkit, Janice Feinberg remarks, “...researchers estimate that about one-third of all medication-related problems in older adults are preventable, and that's why we're so pleased to partner with the Cardinal Health Foundation and The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy to help raise awareness among older adults about how to avoid the misuse of prescription drugs.”  She says it, “...provides all the resources needed to conduct an educational session at a senior center, library, independent living home or other location where a group of older adults or caregivers gather.”

 

The application (which can be downloaded at www.CardinalHealth.com/GenerationRx) combines discussion-based and interactive materials, a 30-to-60 minute customizable presentation, and simple steps for safely using medications. Included are a PowerPoint presentation and interactive activities like an “Rx Roulette” game that teaches medication record keeping and game a bingo-style game that assists in reading over-the-counter medication labels. Role play activities involve the participants in leveraging their relationships with physicians and pharmacists to ask the correct questions if they are uncertain about medication usage.