Questioned by the Pharmacist

rjm2k1

kenshaz wrote:

But Mum had no problems with her medication ,long term use ,no change .

Long term use could be what they were double checking, they may feel that a Dr is simply signing a repeat prescription without thinking too much about it and decided to make sure it was either still working, or still neccessary. I know someone who had been prescribed warfarin for something like 20 years, had a heart attack and his specialist said there was no way he should have been on it for so long and took him off it immediatly!

studentloan

It sounds as if you your mum had an MUR (Medicine Use Review).

The pharmacist will ask personal questions at the beginning to make sure they have the right person sitting in front of them. e.g. what is your full name?? can you confirm your address?? what is your date of birth??
I know of one instance where 3 generations of one family all lived in the one house, had the same name and all took regular medication.

A medicine Use review gives the patient (your mum) a chance to talk to the pharmacist to talk about the medicines they take, what they do, discuss how well they work and how to get the most out of them.

There is a guide to MUR's here
http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:sX2a1sejSqUJ:www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg%3FIdcService%3DGET_FILE%26dDocName%3DCON2023072%26RevisionSelectionMethod%3DLatestReleased+Medication+Use+Review&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2

I think Medicine Use Reviews are great because the GP may not have time to sort out all these issues. Pharmacists these days study masters degrees and have a great deal of knowledge on medicines and how they work. Pharmacies are often open for extended hours and pharmacists are always willing to help.

The government has targets for MUR's and the pharmacy chains have to meet them so you will hear of more and more people having them.

MUR's can be very good. The patient goes away happy with increased knowledge of their medication or if their current sypmtoms aren't being managed properly then there medication regime can be changed. MUR's will increase standards in the NHS and save money by not treating people with medication that doesn't work for them.

kenshaz

studentloan wrote:

It sounds as if you your mum had an MUR (Medicine Use Review).

The pharmacist will ask personal questions at the beginning to make sure they have the right person sitting in front of them. e.g. what is your full name?? can you confirm your address?? what is your date of birth??
I know of one instance where 3 generations of one family all lived in the one house, had the same name and all took regular medication.

A medicine Use review gives the patient (your mum) a chance to talk to the pharmacist to talk about the medicines they take, what they do, discuss how well they work and how to get the most out of them.

There is a guide to MUR's here
http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:sX2a1sejSqUJ:www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg%3FIdcService%3DGET_FILE%26dDocName%3DCON2023072%26RevisionSelectionMethod%3DLatestReleased+Medication+Use+Review&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2

I think Medicine Use Reviews are great because the GP may not have time to sort out all these issues. Pharmacists these days study masters degrees and have a great deal of knowledge on medicines and how they work. Pharmacies are often open for extended hours and pharmacists are always willing to help.

The government has targets for MUR's and the pharmacy chains have to meet them so you will hear of more and more people having them.

MUR's can be very good. The patient goes away happy with increased knowledge of their medication or if their current sypmtoms aren't being managed properly then there medication regime can be changed. MUR's will increase standards in the NHS and save money by not treating people with medication that doesn't work for them.

Well after all the speculation ,we have the reason ,but this should have been explained ,and it looks like Mum was another target,and it did come from above.Well done studentloan are you going to be a pharmacist?

kenshaz

This site is amazing ,because a simple question has now alerted us all to a new initiative by the government ,would it have been to much to expect them to let us know ,without having to re-lie on studentloan.

needaspirin

I think that it was wonderful that the pharmacist took the time and effort to speak to your Mum. When I mentioned to my pharmacist (who I'd never met before) that I wanted indigestion tablets because I had been getting severe heartburn for days, she questioned me very closely about my health. She advised me to see my GP. I'm convinced she thought I was suffering from heart problems.
I think that it is professionalism and attention to detail such as this that probably saves lives.
For goodness sake don't let your Mum change her chemists!!

seven-day-weekend

I would have been pleased if they'd shown this much care with me.

We'd all complain if they just dispensed the drugs as though they were a production line, without a real person being on the receiving end.

kenshaz

needaspirin wrote:

I think that it was wonderful that the pharmacist took the time and effort to speak to your Mum. When I mentioned to my pharmacist (who I'd never met before) that I wanted indigestion tablets because I had been getting severe heartburn for days, she questioned me very closely about my health. She advised me to see my GP. I'm convinced she thought I was suffering from heart problems.
I think that it is professionalism and attention to detail such as this that probably saves lives.
For goodness sake don't let your Mum change her chemists!!

Aspirin can cause stomach irritation,so needaspirin change to cutdownonaspirin,increased acid in the gut causing heartburn.

ariba10

I am nearer eighty than seventy and when I picked up a prescription today from a different chemist (To me they are still chemists although they like to call themselves Pharmacists ) the young lady explained it to me as if I was senile.

But I belive it was with my well being in mind. So I did not mind.

Techno

It is about age but not in an ageist sense in that many older people have multiple medical problems and medication and sometimes the GPs don't always pick up on all of the side effects - remember pharmacists are medicines specialists - so they idea of the medicines review is to make sure you understand how all your pills etc work for you and also to make sure they are not working together to produce nasty side effects.
Secondly - presribed drugs cost the NHS an absolute fortune and I know from my own elderly rellies that significant amounts are stored - just in case - and often end up being disposed of which is a total waste

seven-day-weekend

Techno wrote:

Secondly - presribed drugs cost the NHS an absolute fortune and I know from my own elderly rellies that significant amounts are stored - just in case - and often end up being disposed of which is a total waste

My late MIL would get drugs from the pharmacist - because the Dr had prescribed them - and then put them straight in the bin because she didn't want to take them.