Speak to another health professional if unclear about drug prescription — Patients told

Mistakes are not normal occurrences at hospitals but occasional slips are possible, it is acceptable for people to double-check drug dosages or speak to another health professional if they are unclear about a drug or the prescription given to them.

Furthermore, because writing prescriptions and medication orders is a daily task for many healthcare workers, particularly Medical Officers, mistakes can occur, either as a result of incorrect diagnoses or incorrect prescriptions being delivered to patients. That is why it is critical for patients to ask questions.

Mrs. Joseline Adjoa Enchill, a Registered General Nurse at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) in Tema who made the admonishing also recommended people to double-check medical prescriptions.

Mrs. Enchill made the remarks at the weekly "Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility," a Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for the dissemination of health information in order to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy.

The Ghana News Agency's Tema Regional Office developed the public health advocacy platform "Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility" to investigate the components of four health communication approaches: informing, instructing, convincing, and promoting.

"Healthcare delivery is all about teamwork," she said, that a lack of communication among hospital health workers can lead to a lot of errors. Let us not forget that the nurse is the first point of contact for treatment, and every medication is administered by a nurse.

“As a result, patients should have faith in nurses during healthcare delivery," she said.

Responding to a question on the growing number of male nurses at most hospitals, Mrs Enchill revealed that, most patients preferred the services of male nurses to those of female nurses, particularly young females, and unmarried ladies reasoned that they emotionally comforted them while attending to them.

Mrs. Enchill also stated that elderly women preferred male nurses because of the ease and fun they associated with their treatment and that some patients do not want to leave the hospital after they are discharged because of the bond they formed while seeking health under the care of male nurses.

She said that, in general, guys had the ability to care for humans with their calm demeanor, which greatly aided in reducing concerns and speeding up the healing process.

Mr. Samuel Adu Ntiamoah, an IMaH Registered General Nurse, stated that people had the misconception that all male workers in medical wards were doctors; "this is unfortunate; there are a large number of male nurses who are also doing very well."

Mr. Ntiamoah indicated that in cases when patients were heavy and required carrying and turning around, such as in the emergency room, male nurses provided better and faster care than female nurses.

Furthermore, getting patients out of cars needed a lot of muscle and care, which required the presence of male nurses.

—CDA Consult II Contributor