Acetaminophen overdose: A pilot study to determine if education materials given to patients located in a nurse managed health clinic will keep patients from accidentally overdosing on acetaminophen

Background & Issues:

Pain is a problem that affects many people in the United States. Acetaminophen is an ingredient that is in a variety of different medicine. Individuals who consume more than one form of pain medication may not be aware of the acetaminophen that is in their medicine. Acetaminophen toxicity can lead to severe liver problems. Education should be provided to individuals so they are aware of the affects that acetaminophen toxicity can lead to. A pilot study will be performed at three of the nurse managed health centers in Philadelphia, PA. The pilot study will test the effectiveness of acetaminophen safety through a series of teaching tools for patients at the three nurse managed public health clinics in Philadelphia, PA. The population for this study will be both male and female minorities, populations that are low in literacy and populations that have disparities. The study will require 150 patients in order to have the best results. There will be a focus group, a pre-test, and two post-tests at different times to measure the effectiveness of the educational material provided to the patients.

Lessons learned: Results of the findings are still pending.

Recommendations: I recommend that a large forum be used at the nurse managed health centers where the patients will have visual aids to help identify the importance of acetaminophen overdose as well as an opportunity for a question and answer question at the end.

Key words: Acetaminophen, liver problems, overdose