[schreiaj]

Have had docs prescribe med combos (same doc, same visit) that would have resulted in permanent damage or death if not caught. Luckily we have three people check all my other half’s meds before she takes them. She does an FDA search and checks drug/drug interactions. I do one independently and her father, idk what he does, but he’s actually an oncologist so presumably better than our checks. (Outpatient)

Too many close calls over the years. People make mistakes, it happens, ultimately the patient needs to be responsible for their care or have someone acting in their best interests.

Of course all of this gets into things like medically informed consent and patient goals.

[skwb]

Well on the outpatient side, the volume of drugs a doctor is prescribing is horrendously outpaced by the number of order you're getting as a hospitalist. When you are responsible for about a dozen patients and some need your attention NOW, it's not feasible to do a complete drug-drug interaction check. But that's where A) the modern EHR that has been invested into it by the healthcare system to build drug-drug interaction tables, and B) relying on the hospital pharmacists to modify orders when necessary. It's about building a robust system that integrates human systems and enhancing them with technology.

[schreiaj]

Yup. I’m mostly advocating for patients to be active in their care. Stop blind trust.