Pharmacist Petr Merks shared on Twitter a photo of medicines that only belong to one patient. The photo is shocking and the subject is serious, because almost every third pensioner in Europe suffers from excessive drug use.
Polypharmacy, also known as polypharmacy, involves taking five or more drugs at the same time. Why is it dangerous? As the National Health Foundation recalls in its report on polypharmacy, the ingredients of individual drugs can interact with each other, causing adverse effects that can threaten health and life.
What are drug reviews?
Taking too many medications is most common in older people. And the problem arises when successive medical specialists prescribe medicines for individual ailments, and no one comprehensively looks at the patient’s daily first aid kit. Effect? The patient takes several drugs with a similar effect (this can be extremely dangerous, for example, in the case of drugs that lower blood pressure), or takes drugs whose active substances block or enhance the action of each other.
A ministerial drug review pilot program was launched this year. Drug reviews are conducted by trained pharmacists selected for the pilot project. – Conducting drug reviews requires the following skills: taking a medical history and analyzing drug problems, as well as good cooperation with the doctor and the patient. A pharmacist with practical training will cope with these tasks and support the healthcare system, says Dr. hub. Agnieszka Neumann-Podczaska, MD, coordinator of the Pilot Drug Review Program. It is important to note that a patient’s drug test goes to the doctor, who can use it to plan treatment for a particular person.
Medications that one patient brought to the emergency room
The need for drug reviews is shown not only by studies of the problem of polydrug addiction, but also by the daily experience of physicians and pharmacists. A photo of medicines and dietary supplements brought to the emergency department by one of the patients was shared on Twitter by pharmacist Petr Merks. “The patient in the emergency room took all of his medications. Does anyone else question the legitimacy of drug testing?” he commented.
Source: Wprost
