The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) today launched three customized, online educational modules to promote safe use of acetaminophen products. The most common drug ingredient in America, acetaminophen, is found in more than 600 different prescription and over-the-counter medicines, including pain relievers, fever reducers, and sleep aids as well as cough, cold, and allergy medicines. When used as directed, acetaminophen is safe and effective. But there is a limit to how much can be safely used in one day; overdoses can potentially lead to liver damage.
To help raise awareness about acetaminophen safety by distinct populations who use it, NCPIE's modules integrate tailored messaging, free downloads, and useful links to external resources on the safe use of products that contain acetaminophen. Individual online modules – described below – can be used for self education, or as resources for community outreach and education.
"Unfortunately, it's easy to overlook common medicine precautions," noted NCPIE Chair N. Lee Rucker, M.S.P.H. "With many people using more prescription medicines than ever before, as well as our abundance of choices for self-treatment, everyone needs to make a conscious effort to read the labels; and ask questions of pharmacists, doctors, nurses and other prescribers. For 30 years, NCPIE has been working to enhance that vital patient-clinician communication about safe medicine use. These new modules about safe use of acetaminophen are tailored for various medicine users, across the age spectrum." Rucker added, "As we age, our learning preferences and lifestyles change; so too does technology. NCPIE has interwoven all of these elements into these new communication platforms to promote safe, appropriate medicine use."
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