Seminar - Treatment and healing

Question 1

What conditions does a patient have to fill to be compliant?

Answer 1

1. ACCEPT the diagnosis and the need to take medicine
2. ADHERE to the timing, dosage and frequency of the drug
3. PERSIST with the drug for the prescribed time

Question 2

What is the therapeutic illusion? Give an e.g.

Answer 2

UNJUSTIFIED enthusiasm for treatment on the part of both patients and doctors
e.g. Arthroscopic knee washout

Question 3

What is evidence based medicine

Answer 3

Individual clinical EXPERTISE + best external EVIDENCE + PATIENT values and expectations

Question 4

What are complementary medicines?

Answer 4

Any non-prescription medicine (e.g. nutritional supps, herbal medicines), include gov registered and uncontrolled products (registered = safe and effective), reg by TGA

Question 5

Issues with complementary medicines? Give e.g’s

Answer 5

• drug-drug interactions
• drug-disease interaction
• ADRs
• adulteration (deliberate) & contamination (inadvertent)

St John's wort: drug-drug interactions
Echinacea: bronchospasm / problem w asthma
Liquorice: cardiac arrhythmias (to do w K+ levels
Black cohosh (for menapause symptoms): liver failure