Question

Jenna Parson is a long-term client in your ambulatory care medical center who suffers from severe headaches and debilitating back pain after serving in Afghanistan. You have reason to believe she is abusing her pain medications. Your chart notes indicate that either she or her pharmacy calls for refills on her prescription prior to the time when she should be out of her medications. You have two notes, one indicating she accidentally spilled most of her pills down the sink, and another note saying she lost the medications while on vacation. What action do you take? Explain.

Answer 1

Several people are misusing their prescription of pain medication.And several more are dying due to overdose so monitoring programs are used and doctors are encouraged to prescribe non opiod drugs.But many patients require opiod drugs for their condition.So the pharmacists and physician should play a major role to control the misuse of pain medication.

I would first correctly know the information regarding the refills she used till now.And I would talk with Jenna parson and explain the consequences of misusing the medicines in furire.I would be calm and educate jenna of addiction and other health issues which will result from overuse and provide information abuot rehab and how to overcome the urge to take the medication.And I would inform the pharmacist about Jenna and ask them to notify me if she takes a refill before the time or claims a accident which she lost her medication.