Sage-Tips

How do you convince a psychotic patient to take medication?

Topic Overview

1. Talk about medicines in a way that is meaningful to the person.
2. Give the person options about what to do if he or she wants to stop taking medicines.
3. Ask how the person is doing with the medicine treatment.
4. Talk with the person about any side effects experienced from the medicines.

How would you encourage patients to take medication?

There are several ways to increase motivation to take medication as prescribed.

1. Think about why you are taking the medication in the first place.
2. Track progress in a journal.
3. Take your medication at a similar time each day.
4. Use a medication planner/pill box.
5. Enlist family and friends to help with these strategies.

Can a psychiatrist force a patient to take medication?

Could I ever be forced to take medication? In most cases, you cannot be forced to take medication. If you are offered medication, you usually have the right to refuse it and ask for an alternative treatment.

What do you do if someone refuses their medication?

If a client is refusing and saying they don’t want to take their medication, you should:

1. Try to find out the reason why e.g. unpleasant side effects?
2. Explain calmly the consequences of not taking their prescribed medication.
3. If no reason given, wait a while and ask again.

What action should be taken if a client refuses their medication?

If they refuse to take their medicines If, for some reason, the person you care for is unwilling to take their medicines, talk to their GP or pharmacist. They may be able to suggest a form of the medicine that’s more acceptable than tablets.

What happens if a patient refuses to take their medication?

Patients can be reluctant to tell you that they don’t take their medicines. If you don’t have a true picture of a patient’s medication-taking behavior, you may needlessly escalate his or her treatment, resulting in potential harm to the patient, unnecessary work for the practice and increased costs overall.

What happens when you take multiple medications at the same time?

When a patient has several different medicines prescribed with higher dosing frequency, the chances that they are nonadherent increase. Physicians can try to simplify a patient’s dosing schedule by adjusting medicines so they can be taken at the same time of day.

Can a doctor deny treatment to an individual?

Other reasons why a doctor can deny treatment to an individual include: The patient exhibits drug-seeking behavior; The patient is disruptive or otherwise difficult to handle; The doctor does not have a working relationship with the patient’s healthcare insurance provider; The patient or the patient’s spouse is a medical malpractice lawyer.

Can a private doctor refuse to treat Medicare patients?

Private doctors have some more leeway to deny treatment to patients than those in Medicare-compliant hospitals, but there are circumstances under which even doctors serving Medicare patients may choose not to serve a patient.