I need my personal medications.
per-so-NA-li — four syllables, stress on third. 'Medicine' — me-di-CHI-ne.
Tell the nurse if you take regular medications that the hospital has not accounted for. Always bring your medication list when admitted.
'Le mie medicine personali' = my personal medications. Italian hospitals have protocols for 'riconciliazione farmacologica' (medication reconciliation) — reviewing all medications a patient takes at admission. Bring a complete list or the actual medication boxes. The hospital may administer your medications or ask you to temporarily switch to equivalent hospital-formulary drugs.
Prendo l'insulina due volte al giorno. L'avete a disposizione?
I take insulin twice a day. Do you have it available?
Critical medications like insulin must be continued without interruption in hospital
Ho portato la lista dei miei farmaci.
I brought the list of my medications.
Always bring a written medication list to any hospital admission
Questo farmaco non è nella formulario dell'ospedale. Come facciamo?
This medication is not in the hospital formulary. How do we manage?
Hospitals have their own formulary — equivalents or alternatives may be needed
Coumadin (warfarin) is very commonly prescribed in Italy for atrial fibrillation and clotting disorders. Italian hospitals monitor patients on anticoagulants with daily INR (International Normalised Ratio) blood tests to keep clotting in the therapeutic range. The 'centro trombosi' (anticoagulation clinic) manages outpatient warfarin. Some Italian centres have switched patients to 'NAO' (nuovi anticoagulanti orali) — newer oral anticoagulants like rivaroxaban — which don't require monitoring.