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The Shoebox

Start of Care · Episode 5

The Shoebox

The hospital list has six medicines. Dot brings out a shoebox with fourteen bottles.

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Key takeawayLook at every bottleA discharge list is only a starting point. Review every medicine in the home: all prescribers, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, supplements, and old or borrowed pills. Look for duplicates, interactions, wrong doses and medicines that were stopped. Report any problems to the physician the same day, and teach the patient and family the correct list.

In this scene

Brian: The hospital list has six medicines. Is that everything Frank takes?

Dot: Well, there's this. His old pills, my sleep aid he borrows, and the vitamins.

Brian: Fourteen bottles. Three from different doctors, and two look like the same water pill.

Watch the episode to see what happens next.

Questions to think about

  • The medication review includes:
  • You find two bottles of the same water pill. You:
  • Supplements and vitamins:

About this series

For home health nurses and therapists: the start-of-care in-home assessment. Timing, patient rights, homebound status, an accurate assessment, every medicine in the home, home safety, caregivers and emergency plans, screening, the patient's own goals, and closing the loop with the physician. Follow your agency's policies and the Medicare Conditions of Participation. See the whole series

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