Topic 5 - Roles of healthcare professionals

Roles of Healthcare Professionals Involved in the Medication Process

Importance of Teamwork

• Interdisciplinary healthcare teams are essential to modern healthcare.

• Teams consist of doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and various therapists collaborating towards patient care.

• Effective teamwork involves trust and a blurred understanding of professional boundaries.

Key Responsibilities of Healthcare Staff

Confidentiality

• Essential for staff to protect privileged patient information.

• Sensitive issues must be reported to appropriate authorities promptly.

Responsibility

• Refers to ensuring tasks are performed competently and ethically.

• Includes moral responsibility (performing agreed tasks) and legal responsibilities (reporting concerns).

Accountability

• Indicates who is responsible for the outcomes of care, urging adherence to policies and respect for patients.

Medication Use Process

• Involves several key steps: prescribing, dispensing, administering, receiving, monitoring, and recording medications.

Prescribing Medicines

• Only medical doctors and dentists can prescribe.

• Prescribers must communicate treatment purposes and obtain patient consent.

• Clear and correct prescriptions are critical.

Dispensing Medicines

• Defined as preparing, labeling, and delivering medication to patients.

• Pharmacists or supervised pharmacy technicians are authorized to dispense.

• Validations during dispensing include checking for recipe correctness, possible interactions, and explaining medication.

Role of Pharmacists

• Evaluate appropriateness of medications based on the patient’s profile, improving medication safety and compliance.

• Conduct medication reviews to identify adverse effects and optimal therapeutic strategies.

• Coordinate care transitions and perform medication reconciliation to prevent errors during patient transfers.

Administration of Medicines

• Anyone can administer medications as long as it aligns with prescriber instructions.

• Essential to follow the 'rights' of medication administration (right medicine, dose, patient, time, etc.).

Patient Autonomy

• Patients have the right to refuse medications; this must be documented and communicated with the healthcare team.

Professional Accountability

• Administrators must verify patient identity, dosage, allergies, and documentation before medicine administration.

• Continuous monitoring and clear record-keeping are critical.

Compliance and Self-Administration

• Patients can self-administer their medications if capable and willing, to foster independence.

• Compliance aids assist patients in managing complex regimens but must be properly labeled and dispensed.

Monitoring and Disposal of Compliance Aids

• Compliance aids should be disposed of after a specified period (e.g., 8 weeks) if unused, and not all medications suit these systems.

Reporting Medication Errors

• Encouraging a culture of openness for reporting errors is vital for patient safety.

• Common errors include wrong dosages, incorrect drugs, and administration routes.

Ensuring Patient Safety Post-Error

• Immediate patient safety measures must be taken in case of a medication error, followed by proper documentation and communication with the healthcare team.