Ten Practical Tips for a Best Possible Medication History
This article was reproduced with permission from the authors.
Original article from geriatric-ed.com.
- Be proactive. Gather as much information as possible prior to seeing the patient. Include primary medication histories, provincial database information, and medications vials/ lists.
- Prompt questions about non-prescription categories: over the counter drugs, vitamins, recreational drugs, herbal/traditional remedies.
- Prompt questions about unique dosage forms: eye drops, inhalers, patches, and sprays.
- Don’t assume patients are taking medications according to prescription vials. Ask about recent changes initiated by either the patient or the prescriber.
- Use open-ended questions: “Tell me how you take this medication?”
- Use medical conditions as a trigger to prompt consideration of appropriate common medications: “When you get short of breath, what medications do you take?”
- Consider patient adherence with prescribed regimens: “Has the medication been recently filled?”
- Verify accuracy: validate with at least two sources of information.
- Obtain community pharmacy contact information: anticipate and inquire about multiple pharmacies.
- Use a BPMH trigger sheet or a systematic process /interview guide like the one found here. Include efficient order/optimal phrasing of questions and prompts for commonly missed medications