Importance of Taking Medications with You During Doctor's Visit!
Published on Dec 16, 2013 and last reviewed on Jun 30, 2022 - 1 min read
Abstract
Know your medications and carry them with you. This article explains why.
I have wanted to write a very general and basic note about taking all your prescribed and non-prescribed medications when you visit your doctors (any specialty). I would like to explain this by writing about one of my own patients.
Patient XYZ is a 62 year old man who has diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, orthostatic hypotension (and some dizziness). He does not follow up with a primary care physician (PCP) and likes to see only specialist for all his concerns. Having a PCP as a family doctor would be an excellent idea as they know the patient as a whole and could definitely help to place necessary referrals and reconcile medications and investigations.
So, this patient sees an endocrinologist who manages his diabetes and also does preventive bone loss strategies. She also addresses hypertension and hyperlipidemia in addition to the neurologist/cardiologist and nephrologist doing the very same thing. Similarly, his entire super specialty consultant modifies his medications/doses which at times can be very very confusing for the patient. It would be a very healthy practice to review other medications/prescriptions and even better practice would be to talk to the other consultant about so and so medication/dose change. But this is seldom done in clinical practice. Patient XYZ ends up on two statins (for cholesterol), two different calcium and vitamin D preparations, two different ARB inhibitors ( for blood pressure) and ends up taking close to 20 medications in addition to over the counter supplements (Revittal, omega 3, flax seed, vitamin E, vitamin C etc).
We are just not talking about the cost of medications but also the poor compliance with medications, side effects and drug interactions. So, kindly take all your medications with you when you meet your doctor and also know the indication (why am I taking this medication?) for the medication prescribed.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.
What Is the Importance of Medication in Healthcare?
Medicines are compounds or chemicals to ease the symptoms and prevent the disease. Medication in healthcare helps in the effective management of the disease. Advances in medicines have supported and enabled doctors to treat many diseases and save a life.
2.
What Is the Importance of Medication Management to Patient Safety?
Effective medication management is essential for maintaining the wellness and safety of the patient. However, some medicines can have an adverse effect when taken in the wrong quantity or direction. For this to manage, medication management by the provider is necessary to avoid any harmful effects of medication.
3.
What Is the Apt Way to Take Medications?
The medications should always be taken after consulting the doctor. Only prescribed medication should be consumed. The patient should stop taking medication if reported with any allergy or side effects.
4.
What Is Meant by Safe Handling of Medications?
Safe handling of medication relates to the safety measures taken while handling hazardous medicines. For example, hands should be washed before handling drugs, and gloves are essential. In addition, the provider should know the side effects of taking certain medications.
5.
What Should Be Avoided When Taking Medications?
The person should avoid lying down immediately after taking medications. The expiry date of medicines should always be checked before taking the medications. Certain drugs should be avoided and taken on an empty stomach.
6.
Why Is It Said Not to Touch Medications?
Some medications can be hazardous to the touch. Therefore it is essential to handle the medicines very carefully. In addition, many drugs can accidentally get absorbed through the skin, leading to harmful effects.
7.
What Does Six R’s in Medication Mean?
The six R’s of medication administration are as follows:
- Identification of the right patient.
- Verification of right patient.
- Verifying the indication of use.
- Calculating the correct dose.
- Make sure it's the right time.
- Check the valid route.
8.
Does Drinking Too Much Water Dilute the Medication?
Water helps the medicine pass from the mouth to the stomach and small intestine, absorbed for the desired action. Some studies suggest that drinking too much water can remove the electrolyte from balance and dilutes the medication. Swallowing medicines with more quantity of water can prevent drugs from acting correctly and may lead to undesired side effects.
9.
What Are Risks Associated With Administrating Medications?
Risks associated with medications are missing doses, wrong medicines, and wrong doses. In addition, some medications may be allergic to a person and carry an increased risk of patient harm. Therefore, the healthcare provider should carefully administer the transdermal and intravenous doses to avoid adverse effects.
10.
How Does the Provider Ensure the Safe and Proper Use of Medicines?
There are various ways of ensuring the safe and proper use of medicines, such as evaluating the patient’s problem to specify the therapeutic objective. The selection of safe drugs is necessary by the provider. The provider and the receiver should check the expiry date of every drug.
11.
What Are the Three Most Common Causes of Error Seen in Medication?
The most common causes of error seen in medication are miscalculating doses, failing to identify contraindications or drug interaction, and incorrect prescriptions. In addition, The healthcare provider or the patient can make errors seen in medication. Finally, poor communication between doctor and patient can result in medication errors.
12.
What Should Be Done by the Nurse Before Administrating the Medication?
Before administration of drugs, the nurse should validate and check the medication. In addition, the nurse should check all the patient's vital signs before administering medicines. The patient's medical history should be taken before administering the medication to avoid complications.
13.
What Is the Importance of Medical Safety?
Medical safety can reduce or prevent the risk of harm to others. Medical safety is the freedom from accidental injury due to medical errors during medication use. Standard safety measures involve hand hygiene, safe injection practices, and sterile instruments.
14.
What Is Meant by Medication Safety?
Medication safety is a precautionary measure to prevent overdose, adverse reactions, and death. In addition, it aims to protect from accidental injury or medical error. Finally, medication safety ensures the clinical safety of prescribing, dispensing, administering, and monitoring medication use.
Last reviewed at:
30 Jun 2022 - 1 min read
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