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Taking a 'drugs' history

G Hocking1, W F deMello

  • 1Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Hospital Haslar, Gosport, Hants, UK.

Anaesthesia
|February 12, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Junior doctors often take incomplete drug histories, focusing only on prescription drugs and smoking. A comprehensive patient drug history should include recreational drugs, over-the-counter medications, and detailed allergy information for better patient care.

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Area of Science:

  • Medical Education
  • Clinical Practice
  • Patient Safety

Background:

  • Inadequate patient drug histories can lead to adverse events.
  • Current practices among junior doctors may not capture all relevant substances.
  • Accurate medication history is crucial for effective diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the comprehensiveness of drug histories taken by junior doctors.
  • To highlight the need for broader drug history taking.
  • To introduce a mnemonic for improved drug history assessment.

Main Methods:

  • Anonymous questionnaire distributed to junior doctors.
  • Analysis of reported practices in obtaining patient drug histories.
  • Development of a mnemonic aid for comprehensive drug history taking.

Main Results:

  • Most junior doctors limited drug histories to prescription medicines and smoking.
  • Significant omission of recreational drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) preparations.
  • Inconsistent detailed questioning regarding reported allergies.

Conclusions:

  • Current drug history protocols are insufficient for comprehensive patient assessment.
  • Expansion of drug history to include OTCs and recreational substances is recommended.
  • Standardized questioning and tools like mnemonics can improve the quality of drug histories.

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