Question: A 48 year old man states that his doctor has prescribed citalopram 20mg. qd and he has been taking it for about a month. He states he went to see a urologist last week for erectile dysfunction who prescribed Prozac 20mg qd and Viagara 2 hours before intended intercourse. You are the counselor and know that there is no indication for two different SSRIs to be taken at the same time. Do you
A: Not say anything because you are not a physician.
B: Tell the patient not to take the Prozac.
C: Call the urologist and inform him that the patient is already taking citalopram prescribed by his PCP.
D: Ask the patient to call his PCP and tell him what the urologist has prescribed and ask what he should do.
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The correct answer is D - Ask the patient to call his PCP and tell him what the urologist has prescribed and ask what he should do.
ReplyDeleteRationale: As a nonphysician it is not the counselors job to coordinate medical care between two physicians. It would be inappropriate to call the urologist and describe the PCP's treatment plan. I also would be inappropriate to call the PCP and describe the urologists treatment plan. It is the patient's responsibility to work with his PCP to obtain well coordinated care and it is the PCP's job to coordinate it.