AHRQ's New Medication Management Strategy Provides Tools for Patients and the Health Care Team

AHRQ's New Medication Management Strategy Provides Tools for Patients and the Health Care Team

AHRQ’s New Medication Management Strategy Provides Tools for Patients and the Health Care Team  

More than two thirds of primary care office visits involve drug therapy, with 2.3 billion medications ordered or provided each year. One study found that adverse drug events result in as many as 4.5 million ambulatory visits each year. AHRQ’s Guide to Improving Patient Safety in Primary Care Settings by Engaging Patients and Families features a patient-based strategy called Medication Management, that engages patients and families to actively participate with their primary care team and clinician to develop a complete and accurate medication list that can be used for medication reconciliation.  It also helps to identify factors that may put patients at risk for an adverse drug event, such as over or under dosing, missing medications, or continuing to take medications that have been discontinued. The Medication Management Strategy intervention includes tools for clinicians, patients and families, and practice staff.