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Medication Management

Medication management refers to the monitoring of medications a patient takes to confirm that the patient is complying with a medication regimen, while also ensuring the patient is avoiding potentially dangerous drug interactions and other complications. This is especially important for patients taking large numbers of medications to address chronic illnesses and multiple diseases. Taking numerous medications is known as “polypharmacy” and it is particularly common among older adults, as they are more likely to need medications to manage an array of conditions.

There are a number of aspects to medication management, all of which are focused on making sure that medications are used appropriately. Keeping track of all of the medications a patient is currently taking is an important part of medication management. This can include creating printed lists describing medications, their dosages, and how they are being used. These lists can be kept in patient charts and provided to patients to help them track the drugs they use and understand why various medications are being prescribed.

Monitoring medication administration is also key. Medications usually need to be taken in specific doses at set intervals. Missing doses or timing doses incorrectly can cause complications. Medication management can include everything from using devices that issue reminders to patients to take their medications to filling pill cases for patients and marking the lid of each compartment to indicate when the contents need to be taken.

Another part of medication management involves checking for harmful drug interactions and confirming that patients follow directions for taking drugs. This includes ensuring that patients on medications with known harmful interactions are not provided with prescriptions for conflicting medications. It also includes reminding patients about whether or not drugs need to be taken with food, and warning patients about potential side effects of medications such as fatigue, hunger, or altered level of consciousness that might disrupt their activities.

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