Your teaching about drug therapy will vary with your patient’s needs and your practice
setting.To help guide your teaching, each drug entry provides key information that you
must teach your patient about that drug. For all patients, however, you also should:
Teach the generic and trade name for
each prescribed drug that he’ll take
after discharge—even if he took the
drug before admission.
Clearly explain why each drug was prescribed,
how it works, and what it’s supposed
to do.To help your patient
understand the drug’s therapeutic
effects, relate its action to her disorder
or condition.
Review the drug form, dosage, and
route with the patient.Tell him whether
the drug is a tablet, suppository, spray,
aerosol, or other form, and explain how
to take it correctly. Also, tell him how
often to take the drug and for what
length of time. Emphasize that he
should take the drug exactly as prescribed.
Describe the drug’s appearance, and
explain that scored tablets can be broken
in half for safe, accurate dosing.
Warn the patient not to break unscored
tablets because doing so may alter the
drug dosage. If your patient has trouble
swallowing capsules, explain that she
can open ones that contain sprinkles
and take them with food or a drink but
that she shouldn’t do this with capsules
that contain powder. Also,warn her not
to crush or chew enteric-coated,
extended-release, sustained-release, or
similar drug forms.
Teach the patient about common
adverse reactions that may occur.
Advise him to notify the prescriber at
once if a dangerous adverse reaction,
such as syncope, occurs.
Warn her not to suddenly stop taking a
drug if she’s bothered by unpleasant
adverse reactions, such as a rash and
mild itching. Instead, encourage her to
discuss the reactions with her prescriber,
who may adjust the dosage or
substitute a drug that causes fewer
adverse reactions.
Because drugs may cause adverse reactions,
such as dizziness and drowsiness,
that can impair the patient’s ability to
perform activities that require alertness,
help him develop a dosing schedule
that prevents these adverse reactions.
Inform the patient which adverse reactions
resolve with time.
Teach the patient how to store the drug
properly. Let him know if the drug is
sensitive to light or temperature and
how to protect it from these elements.
Instruct the patient to store the drug in
its original container, if possible, with
the drug’s name and dosage clearly
printed on the label.
Inform the patient which devices to
use—and which to avoid—for drug
storage or administration. For example,
warn him not to take liquid cyclosporine
with a plastic cup or utensils.
Teach the patient what to do if she
misses a dose.Generally, she should
take a once-daily drug as soon as she
remembers—provided that she remembers
within the first 24 hours. If 24 hours
have elapsed, she should take the next
scheduled dose, but not double the
dose. If she has questions or concerns
about missed doses, tell her to contact
the prescriber.
Provide information specific to the prescribed
drug. For example, if a patient
takes a diuretic to manage heart failure,
instruct him to weigh himself daily at
the same time of day, using the same
scale, and wearing the same amount of
clothing. Or if the patient takes digoxin
or an antihypertensive drug, teach him
how to measure his pulse and blood
pressure and how to record the measurements.
Then instruct him to bring
the diary to his regular appointments
so the prescriber can monitor his
response to the drug.
Advise the patient to refill prescriptions
promptly, unless she no longer needs
the drug. Also instruct her to discard
expired drugs because they may
become ineffective or even dangerous
over time.
Warn the patient to keep all drugs out
of the reach of children at all times.
setting.To help guide your teaching, each drug entry provides key information that you
must teach your patient about that drug. For all patients, however, you also should:
Teach the generic and trade name for
each prescribed drug that he’ll take
after discharge—even if he took the
drug before admission.
Clearly explain why each drug was prescribed,
how it works, and what it’s supposed
to do.To help your patient
understand the drug’s therapeutic
effects, relate its action to her disorder
or condition.
Review the drug form, dosage, and
route with the patient.Tell him whether
the drug is a tablet, suppository, spray,
aerosol, or other form, and explain how
to take it correctly. Also, tell him how
often to take the drug and for what
length of time. Emphasize that he
should take the drug exactly as prescribed.
Describe the drug’s appearance, and
explain that scored tablets can be broken
in half for safe, accurate dosing.
Warn the patient not to break unscored
tablets because doing so may alter the
drug dosage. If your patient has trouble
swallowing capsules, explain that she
can open ones that contain sprinkles
and take them with food or a drink but
that she shouldn’t do this with capsules
that contain powder. Also,warn her not
to crush or chew enteric-coated,
extended-release, sustained-release, or
similar drug forms.
Teach the patient about common
adverse reactions that may occur.
Advise him to notify the prescriber at
once if a dangerous adverse reaction,
such as syncope, occurs.
Warn her not to suddenly stop taking a
drug if she’s bothered by unpleasant
adverse reactions, such as a rash and
mild itching. Instead, encourage her to
discuss the reactions with her prescriber,
who may adjust the dosage or
substitute a drug that causes fewer
adverse reactions.
Because drugs may cause adverse reactions,
such as dizziness and drowsiness,
that can impair the patient’s ability to
perform activities that require alertness,
help him develop a dosing schedule
that prevents these adverse reactions.
Inform the patient which adverse reactions
resolve with time.
Teach the patient how to store the drug
properly. Let him know if the drug is
sensitive to light or temperature and
how to protect it from these elements.
Instruct the patient to store the drug in
its original container, if possible, with
the drug’s name and dosage clearly
printed on the label.
Inform the patient which devices to
use—and which to avoid—for drug
storage or administration. For example,
warn him not to take liquid cyclosporine
with a plastic cup or utensils.
Teach the patient what to do if she
misses a dose.Generally, she should
take a once-daily drug as soon as she
remembers—provided that she remembers
within the first 24 hours. If 24 hours
have elapsed, she should take the next
scheduled dose, but not double the
dose. If she has questions or concerns
about missed doses, tell her to contact
the prescriber.
Provide information specific to the prescribed
drug. For example, if a patient
takes a diuretic to manage heart failure,
instruct him to weigh himself daily at
the same time of day, using the same
scale, and wearing the same amount of
clothing. Or if the patient takes digoxin
or an antihypertensive drug, teach him
how to measure his pulse and blood
pressure and how to record the measurements.
Then instruct him to bring
the diary to his regular appointments
so the prescriber can monitor his
response to the drug.
Advise the patient to refill prescriptions
promptly, unless she no longer needs
the drug. Also instruct her to discard
expired drugs because they may
become ineffective or even dangerous
over time.
Warn the patient to keep all drugs out
of the reach of children at all times.