Introduction
There are several myths regarding the safety of herbal medicine. Patients mostly do not perceive herbal medication as drugs with possible side effects. Therefore, this creates the need for public education. Based on the clinical scenario, the first and immediate action is for the nurse to create a teaching plan that would be used to facilitate health education on the possible drug-drug interactions. The nurse should use a face-to-face interaction.
Patient Teaching Plan
The medication teaching plan for the patient would include the dangers of traditional Chinese medicine and the harm that the drug-drug interactions might bring to the body. The nurse will enlighten the patient regarding several reports that have described Chinese herbal products as being contaminated with drugs, heavy metals or toxins, and not containing the listed ingredients (NCCIH, 2014). Furthermore, the nurse should elaborate that some of the natural products used in Chinese medicine can adversely interact with other drugs leading to adverse side effects, or being dangerous to people suffering from specific medical conditions (NCCIH, 2014).
Example of Regimen Factor Impact on Patient’s Condition
The regimen is the primary factor behind her rectal bleeding and bleeding gums. This is because a major element in her regimen is the Ginko Biloba. The Ginko Biloba is traditionally used in treating circulatory disorders. One of the harmful effects of the drug is that it inhibits platelet aggregation, thus bringing about bleeding (Manoj, Kulkarni & Wadkar, 2014). Furthermore, the patient takes Ginko Biloba together with aspirin in which the drug-drug interaction increases the risk of bleeding.
References
- Manoj, K., Kulkarni, S., & Wadkar, S. (2014). Review on the interaction of herbal medicines with allopathic medicines. Journal of Ayurveda and Holistic Medicine, 2(2), 38-43.
- NCCIH. (2014). Traditional Chinese medicine: In-depth. Web.