How can you explain medication side effects to patients?

Miscommunication is one of the biggest contributors to mishaps in medical care. Clear, complete and timely communication is best.

Understanding medications is a core component of providing high quality nursing care and patient education. Understanding pharmacology is a requirement for all nurses prior to licensure. The nurse should know the indication of the medication, know the generic and brand names of the medication, and understand where to find resources for more medication information. Before administering medication, the nurse should also check the allergies of the patient and understand all possible effects and side effects. This understanding will allow the nurse to provide the best care and patient education about the medication.

Lo primero que debemos hacer es revisar los efectos secundarios de los medicamentos que vamos a usar, la interacción entre ellos para así poder establecer los horarios adecuados , los cuidados necesarios y poder brindar la información correcta a nuestros pacientes .

We need to empower patients to report adverse events, we have normalizad beyond reasonable the safety problems of our drugs, selecting the best drug, for the correct patient in the right time is everyone's job, but we need to show patients how to advocate for themselves.

Clearly explaining medication side effects to patients is a key component of quality patient care, and one that is often rushed through by nurses. In my practice, I find using the Teach-Back method, in which patients are asked to repeat the information I've provided back to me in their own words, to be the most effective approach to ensuring understanding.

Patient assessment is an ongoing process throughout a shift. Before administering a medication, the nurse should ensure all appliable assessments are done and documented properly. If the patient does not meet the criteria for the medication administration as scheduled, it should be documented as such and the physician should be contacted in some cases. For example, a patient with diabetes has a sliding scale insulin ordered. The nurse checks the blood glucose level and it is 68 mg/dL. Per the sliding scale order, no insulin should be given. When explaining medications to the patient, the nurse should assess their level of understanding and communicate in a way that the patient understands the teaching points.

Once the patient's level of understanding is determined, the nurse should provide education accordingly. For example, if the patient has no medical knowledge the nurse should use layman's terms and avoid medical terminology. When administering a medication for hypertension, the nurse could teach that, "This medication is for high blood pressure. Some common side effects would be to feel dizzy or faint." If a patient does not speak English, an interpreter should be used that is a medical professional. This ensures objectivity as well as ensuring all medical information can be accurately translated into the patient's primary language.

When writing educational materials for the public, I was instructed to write at a 5th grade level. It's short and concise. We would not even use the term "side effects" We would say, "call your doctor if you get light headed or dizzy". It's interesting to listen to TV ads for medications.

Es fundamental, especialmente en pacientes con polifarmacia, asegurarnos de dise?ar con ellos, esquemas simples de tratamiento, e incluso dejar solos quillas fármacos que aportan un bienestar efectivo al paciente y se alinean con sus expectativas.

The patient's age and health status. Some side effects may be more common in certain age groups or in patients with certain health conditions. The patient's cultural background. Some cultures may have different beliefs about medication and side effects. The patient's literacy level. Pharmacists should use language that is appropriate for the patient's literacy level. The patient's preference for receiving information. Some patients may prefer to receive information in writing, while others may prefer to talk to their pharmacist in person.

Los profesionales de la salud debemos ser receptivos a los eventos adversos experimentados por los pacientes tes, en lugar de descartalos y quitarle importancia a la experiencia del paciente.