Preventing medication misadventure with a no-cost review

The Barossa Pharmacist is helping locals take control of their prescriptions with a free medication review service says Travis Schiller.

Speaking to The Leader, Travis said the fully-funded program gives patients the chance to sit down one-on-one with a pharmacist and go through every medication in detail.

“You service your car regularly… but often you get prescribed medicine and just take it,” he said.

“Is it working for you correctly? Is it interacting with other medicines?”

Travis explained that the service is designed to review a patient’s current medications, and ensure that they are informed on best practices. 

“If you’ve just had a diagnosis from the doctor, there’s lots of stuff happening… how much of that counselling are you actually remembering?” he said. 

“It’s an opportunity to come back, refresh, and make sure you’re using all of those things correctly.”

Travis said that reviews often help with advice on how best to manage multiple medications, improve understanding plus tips on additional support tools.

“Sometimes it’s just having that better knowledge…sometimes it’s medication packing, sometimes it’s an app,” he said.

Travis added that consultations typically run for 30 to 40 minutes and are available without a doctor’s referral.

“So no cost to the consumer… you can just come in and book in with us,” he said.

Patients are encouraged to bring all their medications to the appointment, including inhalers, to ensure correct usage.

“With something like an inhaler, if you’re not taking it correctly… you’re not getting the benefit,” he said.

He said it wasn’t uncommon to see cases where some simple advice could improve a patient’s outcome. 

“That makes a huge impact on your actual health outcome.”

Travis said the reviews are particularly important for people taking multiple medications, and that patients can sometimes unknowingly duplicate medications.

“If you’re on more than five medications, you should probably, at least once a year, go through everything.”

“That’s where we start to see more medication misadventure… interactions, confusion, and issues around those sorts of things.”

“You might get two different brands of the same product… and not realise they’re the same thing.

“You’ve been taking the same thing twice, doubling your dose.

“It’s about trying to connect those gaps and make sure we eliminate any duplication or potential for interactions.”

Travis encouraged family members and carers to also attend the appointments.

“Everyone that’s involved in that medication management or the care of that person can be brought up to date,” he said.

For more complex cases, he said pharmacists can arrange a Home Medicines Review, allowing a pharmacist to visit them at their residence.

“It’s much the same way as you might get a referral from your doctor to see a specialist,” he said.