5

Question 1

The name of the medication can be located on the label or the medication list.

Answer 1

Medication Name

Question 2

One way to obtain this information is to ask, “What are the names of the medications you are currently taking?” When obtaining this information, the interviewer must determine if the medication is extended-release, long-acting, sustained-release, or immediate-release, and whether the patient is taking the brand name or generic name.

Answer 2

Medication Name

Question 3

Information for strength and dose is also found on the label or a medication list.

Answer 3

Strength and Dose

Question 4

The interviewer can also ask the patient, “What is the dose of the medication you are taking?” The interviewer must make sure to include information for both the strength and its corresponding units. Note levothyroxine 50 mcg or metoprolol ER 50 mg as an example.

Answer 4

Strength and Dose

Question 5

Although this information is often included in the directions written on the label, the interviewer should ask the patient, “How often do you take this medication?” There are patients who take medications differently from what is written on the label.

Answer 5

Frequency

Question 6

This may be due to several reasons. For example, a patient may have been told by his/her physician to double or lessen the dose, or the patient may have misread the directions or got confused about the correct way to
take it

Answer 6

Frequency

Question 7

To determine the ____ of medication, the interviewer can ask the patient, “When do you take this medication?” If it is a medication requiring dosing at multiple times during the day, the interviewer must ascertain the amount of time interval between doses.

Answer 7

Timing.

Question 8

Determination of ________is especially important for a patient who is being admitted to the hospital. It is necessary to obtain the timing of each medication so that the same schedule can be followed in the hospital. Also, knowing the time the last dose of each medication is vital to ensure that a patient does not receive an additional dose of a medication prior to or upon admission.

Answer 8

timing

Question 9

Inquiring about the _______ for each medication enables the interviewer to assess the patient’s understanding of his/her medications and provide patient-specific education.

Answer 9

Indication.

Question 10

, “What are you taking this medication for?”

Answer 10

indication

Question 11

The interviewer must ask the patient, “What side effects are you experiencing with any of your medications?” or anything similar to that. Sometimes, a patient may complain of a symptom that may be an adverse reaction.

Answer 11

Adverse Reactions

Question 12

In other cases, a patient may link the start of an adverse effect with the medication. It is important to get detailed information about the adverse reaction so that the interviewer can assess the severity of the adverse reaction and determine the next course of action, which may include discontinuing the medication to counteract the adverse effects and/ or obtaining laboratory tests or recommending further testing to determine the cause or severity of the adverse reaction.

Question 13

At times, it can be helpful to find out what medications the patient has taken in the past. For example, certain patients with diabetes need to be on angiotensin- converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) such as Enalapril. After conducting the medication history. the interviewer may discover that the patient is not taking an ACE-I even though the guidelines recommend this. Prior to discussing this with the patient’s physician, the interviewer should probing question such as, “Have you taken any medications for blood pressure or your kidneys inquire if the patient has taken an ACE-I in the past.

Answer 13

Past Medication Use.

Question 14

For example, the interviewer might ask a in the past?”. Perhaps, ask something more specific like, “Have you taken a blood pressure medication in the past that may sound like there is a “pril” at the end of the name, such as lisinopril or enalapril?”

Answer 14

Past Medication Use

Question 15

A key component to the medication history is an assessment of________. As the saying goes, medication only works well if taken. Assuming that a patient is taking his medication is not always a safe assumption.

Answer 15

Medication Adherence

Question 16

The interviewer could learn how adherent a patient is to the medication regimen and what may be causing the patient to miss doses by asking these information. Additionally, these information about adherence will enable the interviewer to target
his or her medication counseling better.

Answer 16

Medication Adherence

Question 17

Inquiring about any ________ the patient may have experienced at any point in his/ her life is just as important as learning about all the patient’s current medications.

Answer 17

Allergies

Question 18

Ask the patient about any allergies to medications or foods and to describe what type of reaction occurred. The interviewer must determine the allergy trigger; the type of reaction, including its severity; and how the allergic reaction was resolved. This information will help the interviewer determine whether the reaction is truly an allergy or rather an adverse effect.

Question 19

Allergies
Prescription Medications
Non-prescription Medications
Herbals, Supplements, Vitamins

Answer 19

MEDICATION HISTORY SCRIPT

Question 20

Do you have an allergy to or avoid any medications due to side effects?
What type of reaction do you have?

Answer 20

Allergies

Question 21

What prescription medications do you take on a regular basis?
When do you take them?

Answer 21

Prescription Medications

Question 22

What non-prescription over-the-counter medications do you take on a regular basis?
When do you take them?

Answer 22

Non-prescription Medications

Question 23

What herbal, natural, or homeopathic remedies do you take?
What vitamins or minerals do you take?
When do you take them?

Answer 23

Herbals, Supplements, Vitamins

Question 24

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

Answer 24

Do you use any:
Do you receive any:
Do you take any medication on a regular basis?
Did you or your doctor recently change or stop any of your medication?

Question 25

As with all patient interactions, closing the medication interview includes assessing the patient’s understanding, providing an opportunity for the patient to ask questions, and discussing any follow-up plans.

Answer 25

Closing the Interview

Question 26

Because the purpose of the______is primarily to gather information, assessing the patient’s understanding will only occur if issues were identified during the medication history and counseling was provided. If this occurs, the interviewer may choose to utilize the teach-back method, which means the interviewer asks the patient to repeat the information that the interviewer has provided so that the interviewer can assess the patien’s understanding and correct any misunderstandings the patient may have had [11].

Answer 26

medication history

Question 27

is an important and confidential document where all the necessary information about the patient is being gathered and documented through patient interview or medication history interview.

Answer 27

The patient’s medication profile form

Question 28

In every hospital or any medical and healthcare institution, they have their own format of

Answer 28

medical history form

Question 29

is either adapted/revised from a standard/s or guideline/s or created/formulated by a group of medical practitioner experts Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (PTC).
The following forms are examples of medication profile/history forms from different sources [27-29]. Sample Form 1 is an example of an inpatient drug profile form from DOH. Sample Form 2 is an example of Patient medication profile that can be adopted in community, hospital, or clinical settings.

Answer 29

The medication history form