Prior to conducting an initial psychological evaluation for a new patient for whom I’ve received a referral, I always review his/her medical records. I familiarize myself with each patient’s pre-existing diagnoses. I also review their list of currently prescribed medications.
There have been many occasions where I’ve noticed that I take far more medications than the patients whom I am actually responsible for evaluating. This is a very sobering realization, especially considering the fact that I am working in a nursing home setting. In such facilities, the overwhelming majority of patients are significantly older than I am.
