553-u6-a. Communication plan for prescriptive and nonprescriptive drug therapies

A communication plan for both prescriptive and non-prescriptive drug therapies
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A communication plan for both prescriptive and non-prescriptive drug therapies
An effective physician-patient communication is important as it builds trust and helps in sharing responsibilities for patient care. Communication between health care providers and patients not only increase patients' levels of satisfaction, but also decrease the rates of drug resistance. Upper respiratory infection is a common disease among children and accounts for most of the antibiotics prescribed by physicians. However, antibiotics are used inappropriately, increasing the risk of antibiotic resistance (Mangione-Smith et al., 2015). With most antibiotics being prescribed for viral infection, patients do not benefit from these antibiotics.
A good communication plan on the rational use of antibiotics is important to ensure that the drugs prescribed are appropriate. In this case study, Mr. Smith’s 4-year-old has an acute upper respiratory infection, probably viral in nature. When prescribing antibiotics for children with upper repository infection, the health care provider needs to aware of parents’ expectation and manage them effectively to enable parents like Mr. Smith to understand the expectation for antibiotics (Paul, Wilkinson & Routley, 2014).
The communication plan involves counseling on the appropriateness of antibiotic therapy and also informing the parent when antibiotic therapy will not benefit the child (Paul, Wilkinson & Routley, 2014). A communication plan is important because it helps in managing unwanted antibiotic prescribing. A contingency plan is equally important to manage expectations of parents who expects antibiotic for their children. The plan includes a follow up to monitor the child's condition and only prescribe antibiotics when the child's condition does not improve in the next few days (Paul, Wilkinson & Routley, 2014). A contingency plan will enhance the parent's satisfaction who wants antibiotics but do not receive them. In general, an effective communication plan will enhance parent satisfaction and allow the health care provider to avoid prescribing antibiotics when not needed.
Communication plan for both prescriptive and non-prescriptive drug therapies
When handling patients with upper acute respiratory infection, the communication plan includes two communication formats. The first format is positive treatment recommendations. This means explaining to parents what they can do to help manage some of these symptoms. For example, the health care provider can explain to parents the dosages like giving a teaspoon of honey just before the child goes to bed to manage coughs (Mangione-Smith et al., 2015).
The second communication format is the negative treatment recommendations, meaning explaining some of the inappropriateness of antibiotics that would not help in managing the child's infection. For example, stating that if it's a viral infection, then antibiotics might not help manage the child's condition (Mangione-Smith et al., 2015). A communication plan that involves both parents and children in understanding the need for antibiotics and the importance of adhering to med...