title: Preventing and resolving drug therapy problems by understanding patients' medication experiences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide tools for pharmacists to uncover patients' medication experiences and to discuss strategies that medication therapy management (MTM) pharmacists use to prevent and resolve drug therapy problems rooted in patients' medication experiences.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Health care delivery system in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN, area from January to October 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  10 MTM pharmacists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thematic analysis of data from a focus group of MTM pharmacists and an MTM pharmacist's practice diary.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients' medication experiences were revealed as a foundational aspect of MTM pharmacists' daily practices because they had to take these experiences into consideration to be effective practitioners. According to MTM pharmacists, patients express attitudes toward drug therapy in many different ways, thereby affecting how each patient takes his/her medications. Patients' medication experiences often were at the root of drug therapy problems (DTPs). From MTM pharmacists' examples, we identified DTPs at the root of patients' medication experiences and several strategies used by pharmacists to address patients' needs and concerns regarding medications. MTM pharmacists approached patients in a nonjudgmental way so that patients would feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and goals. After understanding patients' motivations and the basis of their attitudes and decision making, pharmacists could negotiate the process of behavioral change, if needed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If pharmacists understand patients' medication experiences, they may be able to address and resolve DTPs to ultimately improve therapeutic outcomes and reduce adverse events.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. djenane.oliveira@gmail.com
authors.forename: Djenane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ramalho-de Oliveira
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shoemaker
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ekstrand
authors.forename: Mateus R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Alves
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D003657:Decision Making; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D054539:Medication Therapy Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008910:Minnesota; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024382:Professional Role; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations