Medicines Use Review – Asthma, Diabetes
**This service has been suspended during Covid**
What is a medicines use review
A Medicines Use Review involves an appointment with a pharmacist to discuss your medicines for a specific health condition e.g. asthma, diabetes.
What is the purpose of a Medicines Use Review
The purpose of the meeting is to: -
- Help you to find out more about the medicines you are taking and why you take them.
- - Have a better understanding of when or how to take your medicines.
- - Discuss any problems you are having with your medicines and how to manage any side effects.
- - Improve the effectiveness of your medicines. There may be easier ways to take them, or you may find you need fewer medicines than before.
- - Have a better understanding of the health condition being treated.
Who can receive a Medicines Use Review?
This is an NHS funded service which covers medicines for long term illness including asthma, COPD and diabetes. Even if you are not in either of these groups you can ask our pharmacists for advice at any time.
What you can expect from the review?
Our pharmacists have undergone special training to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to provide this service.
This is a confidential appointment held in the privacy of one of our consultation rooms where you can speak with a pharmacist without being overheard. You can talk openly about your concerns and ask anything you want about your medication. Only your GP will receive a summary of the meeting.
The pharmacist may give some lifestyle advice during the discussion about
- Diet & Nutrition
- Smoking
- Physical Activity
- Alcohol
- Sexual Health
- Weight Management
The pharmacist may suggest interventions to your medication regime including:
- Advice on medicines usage (prescribed and OTC), aiming to develop improved adherence
- Effective use of ‘when required’ medication
- Ensuring appropriate use of different medicine dosage forms, e.g. inhaler type, soluble tablets
- Advice on tolerability and side effects
- Dealing with practical problems in ordering, obtaining, taking and using medicines
- Identification of items without adequate dosage instructions
- Identification of unwanted medicines (where the patient is no longer taking the medicines)
- Identification of the need for a change of dosage form to facilitate effective use
- Proposals for dose optimisation (higher strength substitution where multiple doses of lower strength products are prescribed, provided it does not interfere with the patient’s clinical management)
Our pharmacist may recommend a change to your prescription. Both you and your doctor will need to agree on any changes to your prescription, so you may be asked to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss these. No changes will be made against your will.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any more information on the Medicines Use Review service.
Asthma useful links: -
Advice on Understanding Asthma, and living with Asthma from Asthma UK – Click here
NICE Asthma Guidance – Click here
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng80
Asthma UK Inhaler technique Video – Click here
https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/inhaler-videos/
Step by step checklist for inhaler usage – Click here
https://www.respiratoryfutures.org.uk/media/69774/ukig-inhaler-standards-january-2017.pdf
Diabetes useful links: -
Advice on Understanding Diabetes and Living with Diabetes from Diabetes UK – Click here
Diabetes and General Driving Advice from Diabetes UK – Click here
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Life-with-diabetes/Driving
NICE Pathway: Diabetes Overview – Click here
