Medicines Use Reviews can provide a useful opportunity to discuss adherence and any other lifestyle issues. Patients should bring all their medicines to every visit, so the pharmacist can ask them the following questions about each drug:

• Does the patient know what it’s for?
• Do they know the names of all their medications?
• How many should they take a day?
• What time do they take medications – is it spread throughout the day or all at once?
• Have they taken them today?
• Any problems taking this tablet/any intolerances?

Try to pick up on both verbal and non-verbal clues:

• “I take too many tablets”
• “They don’t work”
• “They make me feel unwell”
• They say “I never miss them” when the rest of the information doesn’t support this (it is normal behaviour to occasionally forget tablets)
• They don’t seem very familiar with the tablets
• They seem defensive, cross, unengaged or depressed.