Medication History Interview

Introduction
 Patient Medication history interviews help the pharmacist to establish rapport
with the patient, commence preliminary counselling and help to devise an ongoing
pharmaceutical care plan
 Sources: Patient, medication records from the hospital and other sources.
Goals
To gather information to be utilised to
 Compare medication profiles with the medication adminstration record and
investigate discrepancies
 Verify medication histories taken by other staff and provide additional
information where appropriate
 Document allergies and adverse reactions
 Screen for drug interactions assess patient medication compliance
Goals contd…
 Assess the rationale for drugs prescribed
 Assess for evidence of drug abuse
 Appraise drug administration techniques
 Examine the need for medication aids
 Document patient-initiated medication administration
Documentation
Documentation of medication history include
 Current medication administration record
 Previous prescriptions
 Current admission details
 Referral letter from local doctor or other sources
 The patient’s own medication list
Preparing for The Interview
 Determine specific goals of the interview
 Establish the identity of the patient
 Introduce yourself
 Explain the purpose of the interview
 Respect the patient’s right to decline an interview
 Adopt a suitable physical position to enable the interview to take place
comfortably and effectively
 If the patient is not in a position to manage the care, the interview should be done
with the relevant person
Information to be obtained in the Interview
 Prescription medication use
 Non-prescription medication use
 Allergies, previous adverse drug reactions and their manifestations
 Use of alternative therapies
 Social drug use (eg. Alcohol, smoking)
 Illicit drug use
 Immunisation status
 Community pharmacies and general practice surgeries visited

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Seeking Specific Information
 The patient’s perception of the purpose and effectiveness of the medication(s)
 The dose and dosage schedule used
 The duration of the therapies used
 The perceived effectiveness of the medication(s)
 A general impression of the likelihood that the patient has the medication(s) as
prescribed
 The reasons for discontinuation or alteration of medications
 The storage of medications
 Any problems with the medication therapy
Conclusion
 Summarise the important information
 Answer patient’s questions regarding therapy
 Encourage the patient for further information

Follow-up
 Comparison of medication profile with medication administration record
 Identify and resolve drug related problems
 Counsel the patients about alterations to their medications