Drug problems: Prioritize and solve individually

A lot is demanded of patients: They are expected to know which medications are used for which conditions, when to take them, be as adherent as possible, and correctly use dosage forms that require explanation. All of this is complex. For many patients, the correct implementation of drug therapy presents a challenge.

For example, a patient reports a new prescription for a diuretic that she would prefer not to take at all. When questioned by the pharmacist, she explains that she constantly has to go to the bathroom and that she sometimes skips the pills when she wants to run errands in the morning. She is unaware that this jeopardizes her blood pressure treatment. The pharmacist recognizes the patient's adherence problem and explains the importance of the medication. Together they find a solution for a more convenient time for her to take it, at midday; the pharmacist adds this to the medication plan for the physician's information.

Drug-related problems (DRPs) frequently arise in everyday pharmacy practice, which can jeopardize the success of treatment or pose a risk to the patient. The fulfilling and professional task of the pharmacist is to identify potential and manifest DRPs, determine their causes, and develop solutions and measures for the benefit of the patient.

This is often achieved simply by asking the right questions. The foundations for this are pharmaceutical expertise and the ability to communicate personally with the patient and the physician.

Addressing individual ABPs when filling prescriptions is not difficult; pharmacists and PTAs who provide active advice are used to this. However, reviewing a large number of medications during an extended medication consultation and weighing the issues that arise in terms of their clinical and therapeutic relevance requires a high degree of oversight.

Surveys show that the implementation of pharmaceutical services often fails due to time and staffing constraints. Many pharmacy teams describe similar hurdles in implementing medication counseling:

In addition, processing should be quick and efficient so that pharmaceutical services can be provided economically, according to the expectations of many pharmacy managers.

But how can better prioritization and increased efficiency be achieved? This requires sound pharmaceutical knowledge, digital support, and well-organized processes.