Patient Medication Counseling Tool for Pharmacists

One resource that provides an excellent guide to patient counseling is the ASHP
Guidelines on Pharmacist-Conducted Patient Education and Counseling. This
document was developed specifically to help pharmacists provide effective
patient education and counseling.

Initially, as I approach the pharmacy counseling counter, patients were asked

whether they are familiar with the medication their doctor has prescribed, how
they are going to take it, and what it is being used for specifically. This is an
important step in order to assess the patient's current knowledge of the therapy.

Steve Leuck, PharmD, have developed a simple acronym that helps keep him
focused while providing a patient medication counseling session. The acronym
he uses is DRUG:

Dosage: Discuss the dose of the medication, how it should be taken, any specific
dosage timing issues, and what to do if the patient misses a dose.

Results: What should the patient expect while taking this medication? How is the
drug working in the body, and how can the patient tell if the medication is
working? It is also important for the patient to understand the consequences of
nonadherence.

Underlying Issues: Present potential issues that the patient needs to be aware of
when taking the medication, including: Does this medication have any Black Box
Warnings? Is the patient allergic to this medication? Is the patient taking any
other medications that may interact with this medication? Does this medication
have any specific alcohol, grapefruit, or sun sensitivity warnings? Does this
medication have an effect on any other disease states that the patient may have?
Are there any special precautions with the elderly, young, pregnant, or breast
feeding patients? Are there any other medication specific cautions or precautions
that should be discussed?

General information: Assess the patient's understanding of the above

information. Discuss how to properly store the medication, what to do about
refills, how to dispose of unused meds, and assure that the patient knows who to
call for questions.

Based from above discussion, make your own script of a pharmacist-patient

interaction. Choose among the following drugs:
1. Paracetamol tablet
2. Mefenamic acid suspension
3. Loperamide
4. Hydrite
5. Carbocisteine