Medication Evaluations
Medication Evaluations
Medicine is used for various physical and mental ailments. It is meant to improve our health and quality of life. But are you aware that medicines can have serious side effects? Various medicines prescribed by different doctors can work against each other and ruin your health. Over time, some medicines fail to show the desired effect. Some may stop working altogether.
All these problems can be solved by a medication evaluation. Many therapists specialize in medication management. Kaiser Permanente insurance likely covers the cost of your medicines as well as medication evaluations. Companies like Westside Behavioral Care offer medication management through their locations in cities like Arvada, Aurora, Denver, Lakewood, Littleton, and Westminister.
What is Medication Evaluation?
Medication evaluations will allow you to assess the benefits and risks of all the medicines that you are currently taking and whether adding new ones may be helpful. A medication management psychiatrist will help you to set your goals regarding your health and lifestyle. Medication evaluations are usually targeted at adults who take multiple medications or are looking to add a new one. Medication management in psychiatry is especially useful for people who suffer from chronic conditions, complex medication therapy, high prescription costs, and medicines prescribed by different healthcare professionals.
Benefits of Medication Management
After a medication evaluation, the psychiatrist may reduce the doses, replace the medicines or eliminate unnecessary medicines from your daily schedule. Medication evaluation also closely looks at the prescriptions that patients decided to stop taking on their own. Medication management aims to educate and improve patients’ understanding of their medications. It improves adherence to the medicine schedule. It also helps to detect any adverse drug reactions and improper medication use.
Medication evaluation focuses on the patient. It solves problems related to medication overuse or underuse.
Patients often make mistakes while taking medicines. They may confuse one medicine with another. They may consume medicine on an empty stomach when it is meant to be consumed with food. This reduces the effect of the medicines. Medication evaluation educates the patients and caregivers to avoid such mistakes. The result is a better outcome of the medicines.
In the case of older patients’, medication evaluation prevents the use of strong medicines. Medication evaluation also removes unnecessary medicines from the patient’s prescription list. Keeping the medicines low reduces the chances of side effects.
Often a patient goes to different healthcare professionals for different problems. A patient can have physical as well as mental health problems. In such cases, the different medicines could interact with each other causing some unpleasant symptoms which may be mistaken to be another illness. Medication evaluation pinpoints such problems and prevents them from recurring.
Medication management psychiatrists also look at the medication schedules and provide tools and tips for consistency. They may encourage the patient to use a pillbox, alarm, reminder app, or medication reference sheet so that the patient sticks to the schedule. If the patient has a condition such as dementia, they involve caregivers or family members to help the patient to stick to his schedule.
How to Prepare for Medication Evaluation Therapy?
- Set goals
You must be clear about the objectives you want to achieve with this medication evaluation.
- Gather Information.
You must provide all the information about the medicines you are taking at present. You should also mention the medicines you took in the past. The psychiatrist should also be informed about any herbal supplements you are consuming. Any other relevant documents about your health should also be presented to the psychiatrist.
- Arrange for support
Bring a family member to the appointment if needed. Be open to communication. Don’t expect any sudden changes. The changes will be gradual. Kaiser Permanente Insurance will likely provide you with coverage needed for a medical evaluation.
Steps in Medication Evaluation
Broadly speaking, medication evaluation is conducted in five stages. Some psychiatrists may follow a different schedule.
Medication review
In this stage, the psychiatrist reviews the medicines being taken by the patient. The psychiatrist will also discuss the possible side effects of all the medicines taken by the patient. The psychiatrist will also look into the possibility of medicines reacting with each other to create unwanted side effects.
Personal Medication Record
The psychiatrist prepares a detailed list of medicines consumed by the patient. The record consists of all the medicines, herbal supplements, and dietary supplements consumed by the patient. The record also takes into account the medicines consumed in the past. This allows the patient to have better knowledge and control over his medication.
An Action Plan
The psychiatrist prepares an action plan based on the patient’s inputs. The medicines may be altered or replaced according to requirements.
Intervention or Referral
The psychiatrist may refer the patient to another doctor if the prescriptions need to be changed. The psychiatrist will improve the patient’s adherence to necessary medicines.
Documentation and Follow up
The psychiatrist will conduct follow-up to assess the effectiveness of the sessions.
The ultimate aim of medication evaluation is to better your health. Kaiser Permanente Insurance offers different plans to suit your health needs. View our provider list and schedule an appointment!