Every year more than 190 thousand people are admitted to hospital due to problems arising from their medicine management – a largely preventable issue that comes down to careful planning.
Following a quadruple heart bypass, Bert Newton knows the importance of managing prescriptions.
"Medicine's not just something you take. You gotta learn a little bit about it. You gotta learn the active ingredient in what you're taking because there are so many brand names," Newton said.
The entertainer helped launch 'Be Medicine Wise Week' 2013.
This year, elderly Australians were being encouraged to ask more questions about their medication and to dispose of drugs that are no longer needed.
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A little more than 40 per cent of people aged 50-plus take five or more medicines a day but research reveals only about half of respondents keep detailed tracking lists.
According to NPS Medicinewise CEO Dr Lynn Weekes, while many people monitor their medicines, about 30 per cent of people don't really try at all.
"I guess that's the 30 per cent we're worried about because you need to know what you're taking, how you're taking it," she said.
The National Prescribing Service says every year 190 thousand Australians will be admitted to hospital due to a problem with their medication.
Among the elderly, as many as one in three unplanned hospital admissions can be directly attributed to the same cause, though half of them can be avoided.
Watch: The full report above.
