HMR guide beneficial

USING a Medicines Conversation Guide to support pharmacists conducting Home Medicines Reviews (HMRs) could help remove points of confusion between patients and pharmacists, a study reveals.

Research into the feasibility of a conversation guide for pharmacists conducting HMRs found patients who had access to the tool understood why pharmacists were asking specific questions and enabled “shared decision making”.

The authors reported that most patients found the Guide to be an appropriate addition to the HMR, with one 88-year-old patient saying, “it all seemed to be part and parcel of the proper routine. I didn’t think there was anything that didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of it”.

Another patient reported the Guide provided a platform to discuss health concerns with their HMR pharmacist.

“It was good to tell her what my main concerns, what was worrying me the most about my health,” the patients said.

“You know? Just to talk to someone about it. ‘Cos when you go to the doctor, they’re so busy and … you’re in and out, and … you can’t, I can’t open up to doctors properly.”

Pharmacists reported the Guide could be naturally integrated with the HMR interview, and that this tended to be a more effective approach than asking the two sets of questions separately.

The majority of pharmacists involved in the trial reported the Guide was easy to use and understand, with one of the 11 pharmacists reporting it was difficult.

Of the 11 pharmacists who used the guide, five said they were likely to use the guide frequently in the future, while three said they would use it “a medium amount”, and a further three reported they were unlikely to use it again.

While the pharmacists were largely positive about the Guide, some found it too restrictive, with others reporting that the wording of questions was not suitable for patients who speak English as a second language, or those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

The article was published in Research in Social and Administra ve Pharmacy.