Patients’ knowledge of their disease states and proper use of their medications—including adherence or non-adherence—play a large role in preventable ED visits. Our pharmacy team has put together some questions to consider when assessing patient understanding, and some clinical pearls regarding disease-specific medication use that can help identify opportunities for education, additional support and optimization of medication therapy.
Assessing patient understanding of chronic diseases and medications.
- Do you understand your disease state and the steps to take to keep you healthy and out of the hospital?
- Are your medications affordable?
- Do you feel your medications are working? Are you having side effects to your medications?
- How do you take your medications or use your inhalers?
- How many doses of your medications do you miss per week?
- How do you check your blood pressure? When do you check your blood sugars? How often do you monitor your weight?
References:
1. Jahedi L, Downie S, Saini B, Chan H, Bosnic-Anticevich S. Inhaler Technique in Asthma: How Does it Relate to Patients’ Preferences and Attitudes Toward Their Inhalers? J Aerosol Med Pulm Drug Deliv. 2017;30(1):42-52.
2. New Recommendations for Naloxone. Content last reviewed August 2020. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/new-recommendations-naloxone
3. Heidenreich P, Biykem B, Aguilar D, et al. 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. 2022;145(80):e895-e1032.
4. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;71:e127-e248.