MEDcounselor Drug Information Now Available on ISMP's ConsumerMedSafety.org
By Elsevier, PRNEMonday, July 19, 2010
MEDcounselor's Drug Information, Drug IDentifier and Drug Interactions Modules Help Consumers Take Medications Safely, Avoid Errors
TAMPA, Florida, July 20, 2010 - Gold Standard/Elsevier, developer of drug information and
medication management solutions, announced today that the Institute for Safe
Medication Practices (ISMP) has licensed MEDcounselor (
www.goldstandard.com/pages/medCounselor.html?epm=1_1) Drug
Information, Drug IDentifer and Drug Interaction modules for its consumer
website, ConsumerMedSafety.org (www.consumermedsafety.org/). ISMP is a
federally certified patient safety organization that focuses on preventing
medication errors and adverse drug events, and offers legal protection and
confidentiality for submitted patient safety and error reports.
"As the nation's only not-for-profit organization of
physicians, nurses and pharmacists dedicated exclusively to safe medication
practices, ISMP views Gold Standard's MEDcounselor modules as a valuable tool
for empowering consumers to make informed medication decisions and becoming
more engaged in their care," said Michael R. Cohen, RPh, MS, ScD, FASHP,
ISMP's President. "Educating consumers via MEDcounselor supports ISMP in its
quest to prevent costly medication errors and advance patient safety
worldwide."
MEDcounselor modules now available via ConsumerMedSafety.org
include:
- Drug Information: By typing in the first three letters of a drug's name, consumers can access medication information (such as uses, interactions and side effects) for every commonly prescribed U.S. prescription drug (e.g., Lipitor, Lexapro), plus herbals, vitamins, nutritional and over-the-counter (OTC) products. Written to comply with all national standards for Consumer Medication Information (CMI), the content is available in both English and Spanish. - Drug IDentifier: If tablets or capsules get separated from their original packaging, consumers can quickly identify them by entering the marking/imprint, which typically appears in the form of letters or numbers, and/or selecting from among close to 30 colors (e.g., red orange, blue) and 25 shapes (e.g., apple, bow-tie). - Drug Interactions: Consumers can access information related to potential interactions between prescription, OTC, herbal and nutritional products, as well as caffeine, food, tobacco and alcohol. Interaction alerts include color-coded severity rankings for improved user clarity.
"Gold Standard/Elsevier supports ISMP in its mission to
educate the healthcare community and consumers on safe medication practices,"
said Marianne Messer, President of Gold Standard. "By accessing MEDcounselor
modules on ConsumerMedSafety.org, consumers will get the vital information
they need to take drugs safely, identify unknown tablets and capsules, comply
with drug regimens and avoid serious medication errors."
Gold Standard licenses its MEDcounselor modules to pharmacies,
consumer health information websites, online communities, health systems and
managed care organizations. A specially created "Toolkit" allows
organizations to integrate MEDcounselor modules with their existing
healthcare content and add search functions and links to drug information
from their own Web sites or applications.
"ISMP is truly in the vanguard, offering accessible resources
to healthcare consumers who now, more than ever, demand speedy, accurate
answers to their medication questions," said Gold Standard's Messer. "By
partnering with ISMP and ConsumerMedSafety.org, Gold Standard has helped
enhance a trusted online resource that millions of healthcare consumers use,
value and revisit for life-saving medication insights."
For more information on MEDcounselor modules, please call
+1-866-417-9150 or email goldstandard@elsevier.com. For more information on
how consumers can help prevent medication errors and take their medications
safely, visit www.ConsumerMedSafety.org.
About Gold Standard/Elsevier
Based in Tampa, FL, Gold Standard/Elsevier uses innovative
technologies to provide a complete suite of drug information and decision
support solutions. With a tenacious commitment to product quality, Gold
Standard/Elsevier solutions empower healthcare organizations, professionals
and consumers to meet the most pressing healthcare challenges, improve
patient safety and ensure optimal outcomes. To learn more about Gold
Standard/Elsevier, visit www.goldstandard.com.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical
and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with
the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over
70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per
year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such
as ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com/), MD Consult (
www.mdconsult.com/), Scopus (www.info.scopus.com/),
bibliographic databases, and online reference works.
Elsevier (www.elsevier.com/) is a global business
headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide.
Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (www.reedelsevier.com/), a
world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science
and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier
provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with
increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's
ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK
and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).
About the Institute for Safe Medication Practices
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is an
independent, nonprofit charitable organization that works closely with
healthcare practitioners and institutions, regulatory agencies, consumers,
and professional organizations to provide education about medication errors
and their prevention. ISMP represents more than 35 years of experience in
helping healthcare practitioners keep patients safe, and continues to lead
efforts to improve the medication use process. ISMP is a federally certified
patient safety organization (PSO), providing healthcare practitioners and
organizations with the highest level of legal protection and confidentiality
for patient safety data and error reports they submit to the Institute. For
more information on ISMP, or its medication safety alert newsletters and
other tools for healthcare professionals and consumers, visit
www.ismp.org.
Contact: Tom Reller Vice President of Global Relations, Elsevier +1-212-462-1912 T.Reller@Elsevier.com
Contact: Tom Reller, Vice President of Global Relations, Elsevier, +1-212-462-1912, T.Reller at Elsevier.com
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