Medication preparedness tips for patients

When disaster strikes, have a plan in place for your medications and supplies.

• Secure ice for medications that need to be kept cold.

• Patients utilizing equipment requiring electricity like infusion pumps, battery packs and enteral pumps should contact your electric company to request priority restoration in the event of a power outage.

• When you lose power, manually adjust medication infusion rates or stop infusions as instructed by your clinician or physician.

• If an infusion pump is required for your therapy or additional supplies or medications are needed, hospitalization may be required.

• Unplug pumps before water comes in contact with poles.

– Kim Harvey, BioScrip Infusion Services