Tawam Hospital launches third Medication Safety Campaign

Notes and media contacts

A Sample of Medical Safety Messages:
• 'Natural' does not necessarily mean 'safe'
• To stay safe, always tell your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care provider about the products you are taking. Bring a list of the products to your doctor's appointment
• Only take the recommended amount listed on the label, unless otherwise advised by your doctor
• Only choose products with labels that provide:
Dosing advice
A lot number or expiration date
Manufacturer's name, address, and telephone number
• Store products:
In a cool, dry environment out of direct sunlight (not in a bathroom medicine cabinet or car's glove compartment)
Away from young children and pets
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about your medicines
• Antibiotics are among the most powerful and important medicines known. Each time you take antibiotics, weaker bacteria are killed, but hardier ones may be left to grow and multiply. Always complete the course of antibiotics you are prescribed

For more information, please contact:

Sumaya Al Harrasi
Business Development Senior Officer
Tawam Hospital
Tel: +971-3-7072160
Fax: +971-3-7075192

Selina Kleinwort
PR Media Relations & Events Manager
O2 Marketing Communications
Tel: +971-4-3122777
Fax: +971-4-3122700

Dr. Hashem A. Tarifi, MS, PhD, MBA, FASHP, Head of Department of Pharmaceutical Services Tawam Hospital/Johns Hopkins International, Al Ain, UAE.

Dr.Tarifi is a clinical pharmacist in profession. He has a M.Sc in Clinical Hospital Pharmacy and a PH.D. in Pharmacoeconomics from the U.S.A. His previous experiences include Manager of Clinical Pharmacy Services at King Khalid National Guard Hospital, Saudi Arabia, a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, as well as Director of the National Drug Information Center at Adan Hospital, Kuwait. Dr. Tarifi is a fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, has numerous publications and is a frequent speaker in local and international conferences.

About Pharmaceutical Care
Pharmaceutical Care can be conceived as a purpose for pharmacy practice and medication use processes. In the provision of Pharmaceutical Care, pharmacists use their unique perspective and knowledge of medication therapy to evaluate patients actual and potential medication related problems. To do this they require direct access to clinical information about individual patients. Pharmacists make clinical judgments to advocate optimal medication use for individual patients in cooperation with other health care professionals. Pharmaceutical Care includes the active participation of the patient (and designated caregivers such as family members) in matters pertinent to medication use.

About The Pharmacy Department at Tawam Hospital in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine
The Pharmacy Department at Tawam Hospital in affiliation with Johns Hopkins, provides comprehensive pharmaceutical services to all of the hospital's inpatients and outpatients by assuring the appropriate storage, preparation, dispensing and clinical use of drugs along with provision of appropriate education.

Services offered by pharmacy include the verification of all drug-related orders to ensure optimal care through safe and appropriate drug use, and screening of such orders against drug-drug interactions, drug-food interactions, allergy warnings, and incompatibilities.

The department also provides up-to-date clinical and pharmaceutical information covering drug therapy to physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals.

About Tawam Hospital
Tawam Hospital is a premier, 477-bed tertiary care facility located in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, and the largest of the United Arab Emirates. Tawam serves as a regional referral centre for specialized medical care and a national referral centre for oncology services. Though it offers services in all specialties, the hospital is best known for its neonatal care, emergency medicine, intensive care, oncology services and state-of-the-art cardiac care.

In 2006 Tawam Hospital entered a ten year affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine International demonstrating the hospital's commitment to providing the best services in the GCC region whilst minimizing patient referrals overseas.

Tawam Hospital will be launching new services in 2008 and will begin an entire revamping project resulting in state of the art facilities providing the hospitals' patients with the most recent technological facilities in the region meeting international standards.

About Johns Hopkins Medicine
When The Johns Hopkins Hospital and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine were established in Baltimore, USA, over a century ago, the founding physicians had a goal: to lead the world in treating diseases. Today, the name Johns Hopkins is synonymous with just that. Johns Hopkins Medicine continues to provide international leadership in the education of physicians and medical scientists, in biomedical research, and in the application of medical knowledge to sustain health.