Medication continuity plan
Prepare for prescriptions, cold-chain medicines and powered medical devices.
Critical caution: Do not share prescriptions or abruptly stop critical medicines without clinical advice.
- Time
- 1 hour setup
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Outcome
- Keep essential treatment and powered care functioning through disruption
Survival lens: Prepared resilience means removing single points of failure before the crisis: one prescriber, one fridge, one charger or one informed carer is not enough.
Before you begin
- Ask clinicians about emergency reserves before a crisis
- Do not change doses independently
- Identify which items are time- or temperature-critical
What you need
- Printed medicine list
- Insulated medicine container
- Thermometer/data logger
- Power-use labels
- Copies of prescriptions
Step-by-step procedure
- Create the master list. Record generic and brand name, dose, timing, purpose, prescriber, pharmacy, allergies and what happens if a dose is missed.
- Rank criticality. Mark medicines and devices that cannot be interrupted, those needing refrigeration and those requiring monitoring or needles.
- Build authorised reserve. Work with clinicians and pharmacists. Rotate stock so the oldest appropriate supply is used first.
- Plan cold chain. Know the permitted temperature range and excursion rules for each product. Monitor temperature; do not place medicine directly against ice.
- Calculate power. Record watts and hours for each device. Identify battery runtime, compatible backup and safe recharging method.
- Cross-train carers. Two people should know schedules, alarms, storage and escalation contacts. Keep a paper copy with the patient.
How to check it is working
- List matches current prescriptions
- Temperature limits are product-specific
- Backup power has been tested under load
- A second person can operate critical equipment
Common mistakes
- Sharing prescriptions
- Freezing refrigerated medicines
- Stopping steroids, insulin or anticonvulsants abruptly
- Assuming a power bank can run a medical appliance
Sources and further reading
- Australian Red Cross: get your household prepared
- Australian Red Cross: Prepare for emergencies — get packing
How this guide was checked
Official-source aligned: Aligned with Red Cross preparedness guidance; confirm specifics with your clinician
Independent specialist review: not yet completed. How review works.
Last updated: Nov 2026 · edition 1.0.
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