When should counseling be offered to patients?

Counseling should be offered to patients upon receipt of a new prescription drug order because this is a critical moment in the patient's medication journey. When a new prescription is dispensed, it's essential to ensure that the patient understands how to safely and effectively use the medication. This includes discussing the drug's purpose, dosing instructions, potential side effects, and any necessary lifestyle modifications.

Offering counseling at this point helps to promote medication adherence, increases patient safety, and allows for any questions or concerns to be addressed proactively. This practice aligns with pharmacy regulations and guidelines that emphasize the importance of providing comprehensive medication management to enhance patient outcomes. Other scenarios like counseling at any time during the medication process, only for new medications, or only upon patient request, might not guarantee that the patient receives the necessary information at the most critical time, which is when they are starting a new treatment regimen.