Collaborative Management for Advocacy for Patients Taking Psychiatric Medications

Patients, families, psychiatrists, nurses, family physicians, pharmacists, and other related clinicians need to work as a team in the management of the patient's medications. The patient and family can provide information on real-life experiences of the illness and the medication. Psychiatric clinicians can provide patients and families with updated clinical information on the efficacy and safety of the medications. The other clinicians and caretakers who are working with the patient can provide the data that can be used to assess the efficacy and safety.

One of the most common obstacles to advocacy is the patient's nonadherence to the treatment (Box 21-9 Factors that Contribute to Nonadherence to Pharmacological Treatment). The patient may not admit the illness that requires medication treatment. The specific reasons for this denial need to be addressed to develop a support team with the patient/family/caretakers in the center.

The process of psychosocial rehabilitation (Box 21-10 Use of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Process for Medication Management) provides the essential strategies to advocate for patients in the area of psychopharmacological support. The minimum data set in this chapter on the psychiatric medications can be applied for interventions with these strategies to develop partnership with patients/families and achieve the goal of valuing their medication in relation to their life goals.