Medication Management
A patient-centred service aimed at engaging patients and caregivers to ensure that medications given to patients (including over-the-counter, vitamins, supplements and alternative medicine) are adhered to. This is in order to achieve the intended therapeutic outcomes, and to avoid bad events from flawed medication administration.
Medication management is all about assisting patients to get the best out of their medicines. It entails a collaborative assessment of the patient’s needs or concerns, as well as an evaluation of the relevance, efficacy and safety of medication. Medication management involves the patient, pharmacists and other healthcare providers with a focus on health outcomes. Other professional activities, such as developing medication treatment plans, patient education and addressing patient behaviours that may put patients at risk for an adverse drug event, are also included.
Pharmacists have unique expertise to provide these services in all settings where patients take medications. Their training makes them distinctively qualified to provide in-depth, medication-related education, consultation, and advice to patients, families and/or caregivers.
Benefits of Medication Management
- Improved patient use of all medications
- Improving health outcomes and meeting healthcare goals.
- Reduced incidence of adverse drug events and illnesses as a result of drug non-compliance
- Improved documentation of patient’s clinical experiences
- Reducing cost of treatment by removing unnecessary medications when possible.