The management of medicines is a significant part of nursing duties in modern health care. When people get their diagnoses and treatment plans, they need professional assistance in understanding medication effects. That is why nurses have to manage medicines to promote safe and cost-effective use with maximum benefits and minimum potential harms. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the number of people with long-term conditions is constantly increasing, and not many people take medicines prescribed as intended. Many patients prefer to live in the community instead of spending much time in hospitals or other specialized organizations. As a result, nurses have to be aware of effective medicines management strategies and help patients complete their treatment obligations.
Nurses perform different roles while caring for patients, and their responsibilities in medicines management grow. Nurses are primary providers of patient education, including symptom assessment and monitoring and medication intake. Living with long-term conditions is not an easy thing, and patients need to follow many standards and recommendations. It is not enough to follow a treatment plan but take medications, consider regular assessments and communicate with healthcare workers for an extended period not to worsen the condition.
Cognitive services encourage patients and improve their health outcomes, and shared decision-making allows nurses to increase patient satisfaction and adherence to medications. Medicines have multiple purposes like preventing adverse effects and comorbid conditions, treating specific diseases, and managing illnesses. With time, long-term conditions are accepted as something ordinary, and people forget to take medications or follow the recommended dosage. Nurses need to manage long-term medical care by talking to a patient, reminding the importance of medications’ advantages and disadvantages, and consulting if changes or transitions are required.
