Question

a patient calls in with a question about one of their medications but does not remember the name of the medication and states, \its a small, oval - shaped pink pill.\ the patients medical record indicates they are currently taking ten medications. which of the following actions should the assistant take?
consult the physicians desk reference for clarification.
instruct the patient to seek help from a family member or the pharmacy.
ask the patient to bring the medication into the clinic to verify what it is.
type the patients description into an online search engine to determine the answer.

Explanation:

The Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) is a comprehensive resource for medications. It can be used to identify a medication based on physical characteristics like shape and color when a patient doesn't remember the name. Instructing the patient to seek help from family or pharmacy may not be immediately helpful. Asking the patient to bring the medication to the clinic is not the most efficient first - step. Using an online search engine is unreliable for medical identification.

Answer:

Consult the Physician's Desk Reference for clarification.