Online Medication Teaching Handouts?

I use http://www.medscape.com/nurses-home for almost everything.
You have to register (free) to use it.

Once you are in just type the drug name in the search box, select "Drug Reference". If the drug comes in more than one form it will give you a list to choose from. When you get to the drug's page one of the tabs will be "Patient Handout".

Great resource on ways to improve compliance and patient understanding with one of the most common health problems:

Layman's Hypertension: How to Talk to Your Patients

Additional Information on Aspects of Speaking to the General Public regarding medical terms and understanding to whom you are communicating with (the top end of the post). This is a terrific Q&A that provides information on general communication skills and misc. medical related dr./pat. information.

http://www.cfah.org/factsoflife/vol8no3.cfm

Excellent resource! Updated as new drugs appear.

Patient Teaching - New Drugs

Medication Guides from FDA for "High-Alert" Medications

Medication Guides

FDA may require distribution of Medication Guides, FDA-approved patient information, for selected prescription drugs that pose a serious and significant public health concern. Medication Guides will be required if the FDA determines that one or more of the following circumstances exist:

• patient labeling could help prevent serious adverse effects
• the drug product has serious risk(s) (relative to benefits) of which patients should be made aware because information concerning the risk(s) could affect patients’ decision to use, or to continue to use, the product
• the drug product is important to health and patient adherence to directions for use is crucial to the drug’s effectiveness

Medication Guides

Among the medications listed: coumadin, cordarone (amiodarone), Advair Diskus, and Strattera.

NCPIE: National Council on Patient Information and Education- www.talkaboutrx.org

Excellent website! A goldmine of patient-teaching information, especially concerning medications. "Our web site is designed to help consumers make sound decisions about a very important part of good health: use of medicines. NCPIE provides here necessary information to support consumers' safe medicine use."

"Be MedWise," along with every other NCPIE campaign and message, promotes safe medicine use by focusing on the "3Rs": Risk, Respect, and Responsibility

• Ask questions about instructions for use, precautions, and side effects whenever a new medicine is prescribed.
  
• Share information with doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals about other prescription and OTC medicines you are taking.
  
• Keep a current list of all the medicines you are taking, including prescription and OTC medicines. Include dietary supplements, herbal remedies and vitamins too. Be sure to show the list to your healthcare providers at every visit.
• Read carefully any written information that comes with the medicine, and save it for future reference.

NCPIE: National Council on Patient Information and Education

Cardiac Medications

Cholesterol-Lowering Medications

PDR® Family Guide To Over-The-Counter Drugs

PDR® Family Guide To Over-The-Counter Drugs

MedlinePlus Health Information from the National Library of Medicine

The National Library of Medicine's authoritative and current database of health information for consumers and health professionals. www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

Their search engine available at top of our page...instead of allnurses, click down arrow, choose Medline drugs.