Patient Safety Awareness Week begins next week, March 8-14th, and the team at Southwest Spine and Pain Center wants to take part in this initiative by educating patients on ways to stay safe at home, at the office and with their prescription pain medication. Continue reading for more information on how chronic pain sufferers can stay safe in everyday life!
Home
If you’re chronic pain is especially debilitating, you may need to seek the help of others with cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and traveling to and from the doctor’s office. Consider trying to manage a few of these tasks on your own, and if you encounter days that are particularly painful, try developing a schedule divvying up some of the responsibilities with family members. If you live alone, ask your friends if they’d be willing to help. Then, keep some of the following in mind, pointers compliments of the National Patient Safety Foundation:
- Use night-lights in areas you walk most at night to prevent falls.
- Keep your mobile phone, house phone and emergency phone numbers near you at all times in the event you need immediate assistance from family and friends.
- Try to maintain clean and clutter-free hallways, stairways and pathways.
- Wear snugly-fitting, non-slip, low heeled shoes or slippers when walking on hardwood, tile and lament flooring.
- Install bathroom safety grip handles, grab bars and/or safety seats if necessary.
Office
If you work full-time, there a few basic things you can do to stay pain-free and safe while at the office. To prevent further pain, always lift things safely or with the help of a co-worker; take short breaks when appropriate to stretch your muscles and stay limber; eat healthy foods, drinks lots of water and try to stay active; seek the guidance of a trained professional if you need help managing stress, and lastly, talk to your HR representative to implement health and safety resources at work.
Medication
Taking prescription pain medication is no joke, and if you’re not using it responsibly, serious life-threatening consequences can ensue. Therefore, it’s imperative patients maintain an open line of communication with their SWSP physician about any medications they are taking. In an effort to stay safe, consider some of the following tips:
- Have the name and telephone number of your pharmacy readily available for refills and/or consumption instructions.
- If picking-up your medication becomes a daunting, painful task, check to see if your pharmacy offers a home delivery service.
- Plan how you will pay for your medicine. Insurance may not cover everything, so be mindful of this.
If chronic pain is impacting your life, don't wait to schedule an appointment at Southwest Spine and Pain Center. With four locations in Utah and growing, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to! To schedule an appointment, visit our locations tab!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
©Southwest Spine and Pain Center, 2015
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