Today, there are hundreds of brands of drugs used to treat mental health issues. The five main types of psychotropic medications – antidepressants, stimulants, mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety meds’ and anti-psychotics are incredibly common. These medications are usually prescribed by a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner and may be taken daily or on an as-needed basis.
Some people may be able to control their symptoms by taking medication for a short amount of time, while others might need to take these drugs for the long term — as their conditions may be chronic. In some cases, medications might be combined with psychotherapy or other treatment methods. Online Psychiatric Medication Management makes staying on a schedule to meet with your prescriber that much easier. In this article, we will discuss what Online Psychiatric Medication Management is and its many benefits.
What is online psychiatric medication management?
Online psychiatric medication management is a way of providing medication to patients without having them physically go to their doctor’s office. This type of treatment is especially helpful for those who work or go to school during regular office hours or have difficulty traveling— it is generally advantageous and cost-efficient for everyone with a smartphone, computer or tablet. Online psychiatric medication management helps patients to manage their medications and provides them with opportunities for farster support and education.
Some people may worry about the safety of this type of treatment, but there are many safeguards in place to ensure that prescriptions are accurate and that they will work as intended. This platform – outpatient treatment – involves a rigorous initial evaluation by a professional — auditing the patient’s need for psychotropic medications, the provision of a prescription, and the implementation of an ongoing medical monitoring platform.
The methodology leverages everyday consumer technology – smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, computers, etc – with state-of-the-art software. If mingled and mixed with other RPM systems (remote patient monitoring), this type of medication management mode is incredibly effective and error-proof. Future generations of today’s psychiatric medication management platforms will incorporate AI and machine learning tools — enabling predictive analysis of each patient’s condition and care.
Online psychiatric medication management is incredibly useful for most patients, just as long as they have both video or audio-compatible devices and can follow instructions on the use and application of certain drugs.
Online mental health medication — the process
The general process of psychiatric medication management and virtual mental health supervision is fairly simple. It uses a mix of traditional tools, along with contemporary technology.
Diagnosis
The patient is diagnosed in a safe environment under the watchful eye of a professional. This process may take, depending on the severity of the condition, one or a couple of sessions.
Treatment Plan
The physician creates a dynamic treatment plan. By dynamic, it is understood that the plan is flexible and can be worked or bettered depending on how the patient responds to certain medications.
Monitoring
Using technology such as video and audio devices, including phones and computers, the physician – although most likely clinical staff – monitors the intake of medication. This can be accompanied by peer technology, like automatic medication delivery systems.
Therapy Sessions
The treatment plan is complemented with therapy sessions — including one-on-one as well as group sessions. These can be performed in-person as well as digitally. The most important step in the process is consistency. Patients need to be able to dedicate time to the process and commit to it.
Benefits of Online Medication Management
Online Medication management not only includes monitoring, but reconciling medications, and ensuring patients get their desired outcomes. The process is strict as prescribed drugs are examined for side effects and the platform is constantly optimized to ensure safety and efficacy.
Reduced workloads
It is a time-saving process for most clinics. Since today’s platforms have little to no paperwork and don’t require clinical staff to administer medication.
Increased efficiency
Homecare pharmaceutical aid, if properly customized and leveraged with other technology, is incredibly efficient, and not only educates patients on their condition but actually increases overall patient safety.
Cost-efficient
Not only for the patient but the clinical institution — patients no longer need to commute to a doctor’s office and undertake all those travel costs. The use of online medication management services significantly reduced no-show appointments due to ease of attendance.
Satisfy legal requirements
Since this innovative methodology uses digital ledgers it’s easier to retrieve patient information for audits and other legislative requirements.
The importance of choosing a psychiatric medication management provider
Online Medication management is important so that psychiatrists can ensure that mental health patients are not only taking the best medications for their treatment but using them safely and effectively. This way, patients don’t have to worry about the details of their treatments and can focus on other aspects of it.