Prescription Drug Counseling: How Pharmacists Are Working To Make Sure You Take Your Medications Properly

The last time you picked up a prescription at a pharmacy, you may have had the pharmacist come to the sales counter and explain how and when to take the medication. This information was probably also printed on an information sheet you were given, and the most important highlights were pasted in sticker form on the medication's container.

But there's a better way to instruct you on how to safely take your prescription drugs, and some pharmacists are learning how based on a 2015 Oregon State University study.

Discussion-Oriented Explanation Beats Standard Presentation

Traditional pharmacist talks are more like a lecture: You listen, and the pharmacist tells you what to do. But open-ended discussion about a medication and how to take it helps people retain information longer and follow the guidelines more closely.

The new approach, which is based on techniques used in the Indian Health Service (IHS) includes time for pharmacists to talk to patients about their knowledge of the medication they are to take. Questions are encouraged and the format is more interactive. To test the discussion format, researchers asked three open-ended questions at the after the 2-minute interaction:

• The name and reason for taking the drug
• How to use it and store it
• What the side effects are and what to do if they happen

After the discussion, 71 percent of patients could answer the questions correctly. Only 33 percent had the right answers with a more traditional, presentation-like talk.

Issues To Overcome

There are few drawbacks to the new system, but the improved results with patient understanding make the effort worthwhile.

1. Pharmacist time. Traditional presentation style takes about 75 seconds to deliver, while the new discussion style takes about 2 minutes (120 seconds). This can add a significant amount of time over the course of the day to a pharmacist's schedule, and may require pharmacies to provide additional staffing depending on how busy they are.
2. Patient understanding. Using this method of instruction about a new medication requires patients to understand why they are being asked to respond to questions and come up with answers, rather than trying to understand a presentation on the medication. Patients who are in a hurry or who don't want to engage with the pharmacist may not retain any additional information about their medications.

If you have questions about a medication you're taking, always be sure to discuss it with your pharmacist.