Home Medicines Review

You have started a new medicine – During the HMR the pharmacist will spend time with you to help you understand your new medication better. You will get information such as; what is the medicine for, how the medicine will help you, how long you need to take it for and any special instructions for taking and storing the new medicine.

You take medicines that need close monitoring of their effects on your body – Some medicines that help a medical condition can have other effects on your body and need to be closely monitored. During a HMR the pharmacist can give advice on what to look out for and what you should do if you experience an adverse effect on your body.

You feel unwell when taking your medicines or you don’t experience the positive effect from your medicines that your doctor expected – A HMR can help identify which medication may be causing the response and let your doctor know in case a change is needed in the dose or medication type.

You have recently been in hospital and had changes to your medicines – A HMR can assist with the transition from hospital back home. While in hospital there may have been changes to your medicines. The pharmacist can help make sure you are using the medicines as intended, check there are no double ups (which can be easy to do as medicines can have the same active ingredient but a different brand name) and help keep your doctor informed about the changes.

You would like help to keep track of your medicine – Taking a lot of different medicines can become confusing and hard to keep track of. During a HMR the pharmacist will go through all your medicines with you, give you an updated list and give advice on how to manage them. If any are out of date or have become ineffective due to incorrect storage, they can assist with safe disposal.

You would like to make sure you are taking all your medicines correctly – Each medicine has different instructions. Some are taken with or without food or at certain times of the day. The pharmacist will give you advice on what to do if you miss a dose and give practical tips on how to use your medicines, including how to use eye drops or inhalers.

You are concerned that your medicines are causing side effects – All medicines have possible side effects. During a HMR the pharmacist can help you learn more about your medicine and the possible side effects, how to identify if any of your medicines cause a side effect and what you should do if they occur.

You are cared for by more than one doctor – If you have visited more than one doctor and been prescribed medicines it is good to have a HMR to ensure all the medicines you have been prescribed are safe and suitable to take together. The pharmacist can go through all your medications with you, ensure there are no double ups, that they are safe and suitable to take together and provide your doctors with an updated list of your current medications.

You would like to know which of your medicines are okay to take together – Some medicines affect each other and shouldn’t be taken together. This includes both prescription and non-prescription. During a HMR the pharmacist can go through all of your medicines with you including prescription and non-prescription and talk to you about any undesired affects certain foods or alcohol may have on them and let you know which medicines should not be taken together.

You would like advice on how to store and dispose of your medicines – Medicines may no longer work properly if not stored correctly. Each medicine is different and it can be difficult to manage. During a HMR the pharmacist can give you tips on how to store each of your medicines correctly and on how to dispose of unwanted or expired medicines.

Have any questions or need help? – Talk to our personal care manager Nancy who can help with arranging a HMR and answer any questions you may have.

Talk to your GP to request a HMR – Arrange a consultation with your GP. If your GP is happy to do visiting consultations you can see your GP right here at Beauty Point. During the consultation if you and your GP agree that the review may be useful for you, your doctor will fill out a HMR referral form for you.

Give HMR referral form to Nancy – She will organise the HMR with a pharmacist that provides this specialty service for you.

CMS Pharmacist contacts you – A pharmacist at Complete Medications Services will contact you to arrange a time to visit you in your home.

Home visit – The pharmacist will visit you at home to talk about your medicines and answer your questions. Following the visit the pharmacist will send a HMR report of their recommendations to your GP. Nancy will also receive a copy so the care staff at Beauty Point can assist you with managing your medicines at home.

Arrange a follow-up consultation with your GP – During the follow-up consultation your GP will discuss the HMR report with you and provide a medication management plan to help you better manage your medicines at home.

Medication management plan – Follow your medication management plan to get the best out of your medicines. If you are ever in need of some assistance with your medication management plan Nancy can help. The plan can also be provided to your pharmacy and the care staff at Beauty Point to assist you and your GP with your ongoing care.

As the process involves a discussion with your GP, they may bulk bill or charge you for the consultations. The pharmacist’s visit to your home and the report will not cost you anything as it is paid for by the Australian Government.