YOUR MEDICATION REVIEW – WHAT TO EXPECT
A medication review is a meeting with a healthcare professional to talk about your medicines and any concerns, problems or questions you may have. If you take medication regularly, you should have a medication review every year, although this may vary depending on the medicine you take. It’s important that you have a medication review to make sure you are getting the best from the medicines you are taking.
All medication reviews should be conducted in line with the agreed Welsh National Standards for Medication Review (Table 1).
Table 1. Welsh National Standards for Medication Review
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Standard
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Aim
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1
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Involving patients and carers
Reach agreement with the patient (or carer, or both) on the aims and goals of treatment.
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2
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Safety
Minimise medication-related problems.
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3
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Review of medicines
Maximise the benefit of medicines.
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4
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Reducing waste
Consider activities and actions that contribute to waste and work to address them.
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5
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Medication review documentation
Complete documentation and update the patient record.
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Your medication review may take place in person, over the telephone or over the internet.
Your medication review appointment may be with a GP, pharmacist, nurse or other qualified healthcare professional. They will be called ‘reviewer’ in this leaflet.
You may wish to have a family member or friend present during the review. If so, please tell the reviewer and say if you’re happy to talk about your medicines and your condition in front of them.
About your medication review
- A medication review is a joint process through which the reviewer will support you to reach decisions about your treatment.
- The reviewer will think about each medicine you are taking and what it is being given to treat. They will review and check whether it is still appropriate for you to take it, depending on whether you still have the condition, or if anything has changed.
- The reviewer may also ask if there are any non-medical factors that may be affecting your health. Such as: smoking, alcohol, diet, physical activity, transport, food, pollution, living conditions, housing, and employment.
- · A medication review may take between 10 and 45 minutes.
Preparing for your medication review
- The reviewer wants to understand your views, understanding and expectations about your medicines.
- Please be prepared to tell the reviewer about all the medicines you take including:
- medicines you buy from a pharmacy or supermarket;
- medicines prescribed by a hospital;
- herbal medicines; and
- any other alternative medicines.
If you can, you should bring these medicines with you to the review. The reviewer will already know about the medicines prescribed by your GP.
- Please think about concerns, questions or any problems you have before coming to your medication review. You may wish to write these down to help you remember.
During your medication review Reviewing your medicines
- You will be asked about what is important to you regarding your health and the medicines you take.
- The reviewer may ask if you know the reason why you have been prescribed each medicine.
- The reviewer will think about whether you need any blood tests or other investigations to monitor your treatment or condition.
- You may be asked if you would like extra information about any of your medicines or health conditions. You may be given supporting information, such as: internet webpage links for advice, or patient information leaflets.
Taking your medicines
- You may be asked how you take each of your medicines. For example, how many times a day, what time of day do you take it, do you take it before or after food. Please tell them about any problems you may have with taking your medication.
- The reviewer will think about ways to reduce any risk of harm related to the medicines you’re taking. If they identify any risks, the reviewer will talk to you about them.
- You may be asked if you have had any unwanted effects (side effects) from your medicines.
Changes to your medicines
- The reviewer will review how well each medicine is working for you, and check the latest treatment guidelines.
- The reviewer may talk to you about your continued need for each medicine you’re taking. If they find you are taking unnecessary medications, the reviewer will talk to you about stopping them.
- You may be asked whether you have understood the reasons for any changes and whether you agree with the changes. You should tell the reviewer if you have any concerns and you are not happy with the changes.