Model Doctors?

March, 7, 2012 | 3 Comments

Comments

  1. Canadian Medical Protective Association:
    Risk management: Medication issues
    An article for physicians by physicians
    Originally published June 2011
    This article was originally published with reference to the elderly, but I belive it has application to all ages.
    “In all of the medico-legal cases reviewed, experts were of the opinion that many of the medication adverse events, and subsequent medico-legal consequences, might have been prevented if the physician had asked the following questions:
    Is the dose and route of administration of narcotic and sedative medication appropriate?
    Is the patient taking other narcotics or psychoactive medications?
    Has sufficient history been obtained and an appropriate physical examination been performed prior to prescribing a central nervous system medication?
    When prescribing a new medication, are there potential drug interactions to consider?
    Have the potential side effects, and the need to seek medical attention if these occur, been discussed and documented?
    Does the new medication require regular laboratory monitoring for either the drug level or to measure its efficacy?
    Does the drug pose a special risk in this age group?
    Is there a current and complete medication list on the patient’s record?
    Has the patient been instructed to carry a complete list of his or her current medications and bring the medications to medical appointments?”
    (This last applies not only to elders who may have memory impairments but to all in case of emergency and admission to an ER unable to communicate. I provide my patients with a small flash disk containing their entire medical history as well as documented risks of medications they may be taking. Few ER docs can remember these and need to know whether or not they are dealing with a disease or a medication side effect.)

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