Medication management is an important part of a person’s medical journey to recovery. Hospitals and other health institutions have greatly evolved to have helped many patients enjoy a higher quality of life, yet studies also show that how long a patient stays inside the hospital may affect their over-all health and actual recovery from their illness. There are patients that are readmitted right after discharge due to complications related to hospital stay. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, medication problems accounts to more than half of these preventable hospitalizations.

Just why is medication management a challenge for most people? Medicines are given to cure the patients and make them healthy, but if administered improperly can add additional health problems. Other health issues may arise when patients forget to take their medication at the specified time. For older patients, age-related physiological changes and multiple health problems can make them vulnerable to adverse drug effects. As a patient grows older, the body begins to respond differently to a medication. For example, it may take longer for a substance to be removed from the body than it did when we were younger. Because of this we might need a lower dosage of a certain drug. What’s more, confusion, vision changes and even memory loss can make it hard for patients to take their medications properly.

To solve these issues, home health care may be prescribed by the hospital or health care provider. A good homehealth care company can meet a person’s medication management goals. This is to create a personalized plan that will that will focus on placing the patient in the best position to be compliant with the doctor’s prescription directives. Home health teams such as ContinuCare Home Health Inc. in San Antonio Texas will measure the patient’s ability to successfully administer oral medications, inhalants/mist medications and the management of injectable medications if applicable. A homehealth care’s skilled nursing team are experienced and licensed to assist any patient on their medical needs.

Stay tuned for the second installment of how home health medication management can prevent unnecessary hospital trips.