Helping your patients to use their medications safely and appropriately is a critical aspect of clinical practice, but it can be challenging. The published literature on the topic of adherence is vast, and constantly growing and evolving. It is not feasible, nor necessarily helpful, to comprehensively summarize all the available evidence. Instead, this book aims to provide all health professionals with a succinct and handy resource on medication adherence. Importantly, the book focuses on practical information that can inform, and be applied in, day-to-day clinical practice. Table of Contents: • Terminology and definitions • Epidemiology • Identifying non-adherence • Interventions to support adherence

Written for physicians, nurses, physician assistants, case managers, and clinical pharmacists, this pioneering book is the first of its kind devoted to the delicate interface between clinical interviewing and medication adherence. Shawn Christopher Shea, MD takes the reader on a compelling and eminently practical exploration of how our words powerfully impact on whether or not patients are interested in taking medications and staying on them. Dr. Shea shares over forty specific interviewing techniques that are equally useful for medications for all disease states from hypertension, diabetes, and CHF to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The interviewing tips—brilliantly illustrated with their exact phrasings and all of their clinical nuances—were culled by Dr. Shea from the input of the thousands of front-line clinicians who have attended his popular workshops on "improving medication interest" given throughout the United States and Canada at over 200 locations. Improving Medication Adherence: How to Talk with Patients About Their Medications is a standout favorite with medical and nursing students in their "Introduction to Clinical Skills" courses because of its immediate practicality, eloquent yet disarmingly witty writing style, and remarkable brevity. It is equally appreciated by seasoned clinicians with years of experience who, as Dr. Shea writes, are keenly aware that "our science is always at its best, when it is held in the hands of compassion and enhanced by clinical skill."

Helping your patients to use their medications safely and appropriately is a critical aspect of clinical practice, but it can be challenging. The published literature on the topic of adherence is vast, and constantly growing and evolving. It is not feasible, nor necessarily helpful, to comprehensively summarize all the available evidence. Instead, this book aims to provide all health professionals with a succinct and handy resource on medication adherence. Importantly, the book focuses on practical information that can inform, and be applied in, day-to-day clinical practice. Table of Contents: • Terminology and definitions • Epidemiology • Identifying non-adherence • Interventions to support adherence

This timely resource is the first handbook to give nurse practitioners guidance to prescribe, monitor, assess, educate, and advocate for patients taking psychiatric medications and promote safe practice outcomes. Written in a concise, bulleted style for quick access to critical information, this practical resource covers the key aspects of psychotropic medications used in general psychiatry, offers strategies to simplify medication decision-making, and provides evidence-based best practice recommendations to select and manage psychotropic medications. This resource begins with an overview of general pharmacological principles, a brief discussion of neurotransmitters, and covers rationale for medication use and the risks and benefits of the major classes of psychotropic medications. This is followed by information about common drugs across drug classes divided by age population. Each drug includes initial dosing and adjustments, simplified diagnostic criteria, practice management, rationale for use, black box warnings, drug interactions, identification of side effects and adverse reactions, basic lab test recommendations, treatment options, and self-management strategies. The book ends with important concepts for patient and/or caregiver education and advocacy. Tables and "Fast Facts" boxes throughout highlight key information. Chapters begin with learning objectives and include references, website resources, and recommendations for additional reading. Key Features: Follows a lifespan approach to psychiatric mental health pharmacology Provides population-specific treatment approaches for optimal medical decision-making Highlights critical information with "Fast Facts" boxes Delivers essential knowledge included in board certification exams Contains critical-thinking questions in each chapter to reinforce content

Asthma is the world’s most common chronic respiratory condition, affecting over 350 million people worldwide and inflicting a heavy individual, social and economic burden of disease. In this rapidly changing field, a plethora of new inhaled therapies and devices have emerged, as well as a better understanding of disease phenotyping and biology. This fully updated fifth edition of 'Fast Facts: Asthma' discusses recent trends in an easy-reference format, while highlighting imminent new developments, to provide a valuable resource for general practitioners, specialist asthma nurses and others with a keen interest in improving the outcomes of the very many people living with asthma. Table of Contents: • Pathophysiology • Epidemiology, etiology and natural history • Diagnosis and classification • Asthma medications • Management principles • Severe and refractory asthma • Acute asthma attacks • Preventing asthma attacks • Asthma in special circumstances • Developments

Technology is changing how we practice medicine. Sensors and wearables are getting smaller and cheaper, and algorithms are becoming powerful enough to predict medical outcomes. Yet despite rapid advances, healthcare lags behind other industries in truly putting these technologies to use. A major barrier is the cross-disciplinary approach required to create digital tools, a process that requires knowledge from many people across a range of fields. 'Fast Facts: Digital Medicine – Measurement' aims to overcome that barrier, introducing the reader to core concepts and terms and facilitating dialogue. Contrasting 'clinical research' with routine 'clinical care', this short colorful book describes types of digital measurement and how to use and validate digital measures in different settings. And with the burgeoning development of digital medicine tools, the authors provide a timely overview of the security, ethical, regulatory and legal issues to be considered before a product can enter the market. Contents: • What is digital medicine? • Where does digital medicine fit? • Regulatory considerations • Ethical principles and our responsibilities • Ethics in practice • Security, data rights and governance • Digital biomarkers and clinical outcomes • Measurement in clinical trials • Verification and validation • The future of digital medicine

Epilepsy is the most common serious neurological condition in the world; however, it is not a homogeneous disease. While some epilepsies spontaneously remit, some are lifelong and others have a variable prognosis. With a growing array of targeted therapies, specific syndromes need to be identified and characterized so appropriate treatment can be given. For others, there are surgical options, and over the last few years, significant advances have been made in neurostimulation. This resource focuses on the management of epilepsy in adults; its sister publication, Fast Facts: Epilepsy in Children and Adolescents', on the treatment of children and adolescents. The authors have provided a succinct and practical resource that will help clinicians investigate, diagnose and treat adults with a wide variety of seizure disorders; it will also help people with epilepsy better understand and manage their condition. Table of Contents: • Epidemiology and prognosis • Classification and causes of seizures, epilepsy types and syndromes • Diagnosis • Pharmacological management • Antiseizure medications • Non-pharmacological management • Status epilepticus and seizure clusters • Specific populations • Comorbidities, quality of life and education • Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures • Research directions