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When taking medication, the service user or client may change, in a variety of ways. This could be their personality, it could be an effect on their mood, their general demeanour, their physical size, but any changes at all need to be reported to line management and the GP. Many of the changes may be the beneficial effects of the medication but some may be detrimental. Any changes that are noticed must always be documented in your service user or client's records and ensure that your line management and the GP are fully aware. Staff should have a basic understanding of the medication you're giving and so be aware of the potential effects and side effects of such medication. Any subtle changes still need to be reported. Obviously, if any adverse reactions occur then the appropriate services will need to be alerted immediately.
Antibiotics are prescribed to fight bacterial infections. If for example you had a service user or client with a throat infection, a bacterial throat infection, who has been prescribed antibiotics, you may start to notice that they have less pain in their throat, that they are speaking a lot clearer, and not now complaining of discomfort when swallowing. All these changes need to be reported. In some situations, the antibiotics prescribed may not be the specific type needed, so if there were no change after five or seven days, however long the course is, the GP would need to be informed so that a different course could be prescribed. The point to note is that changes can be good as well as bad and need to be reported and documented correctly.
