How to Read a Pharmacy Review Report

Understand and implement medication review findings in your case management

Published: 3 April 2026 | Updated: 3 April 2026

You've Got the Report. Now What?

You've referred your claimant for a medication review. The report has arrived. It's comprehensive; there's clinical language; there are recommendations. How do you read it? What does it mean? How do you use it in case management?

This guide walks you through the pharmacy review report structure and teaches you to extract the key information you need to support your claimant's recovery.

Report Structure: What to Expect

A well-organised pharmacy review report follows this general structure:

Step 1: Read the Executive Summary First

Don't start at the beginning. Start with the executive summary. This section distils complex clinical findings into key points you need to understand.

The executive summary typically identifies:

• Main medication problems identified
• High-priority recommendations
• Key interactions or safety concerns
• Medicines recommended for deprescribing, if any
• Overall medication strategy assessment

What to do: Read the executive summary. Highlight items that surprise you or seem important. Note any high-risk situations (serious interactions; inappropriate medicines). Write down the main recommendations so you can discuss them with your claimant and their doctor.

Step 2: Understand the Medication-by-Medication Assessment

The report will have detailed analysis of each medicine. For each one, you'll typically see:

Indication

What condition is this medicine supposed to treat? Is this indication still relevant for your claimant?

Appropriateness Assessment

Is the medicine appropriate for this claimant's condition and history? The report might say "appropriate and recommended" or "not indicated; consider deprescribing".

Dose Evaluation

Is the current dose appropriate? The report might recommend continuing, increasing, decreasing, or changing the frequency.

Interactions

Does this medicine interact with other medicines your claimant is taking? Are the interactions significant?

Side Effect Assessment

What side effects is this medicine known to cause? Is your claimant experiencing any of them?

What to do: For each medicine your claimant is taking, read the assessment. Look for any that are flagged as "not indicated" or "consider deprescribing." These are candidates for stopping. Look for any interactions flagged as "significant" or "major." These need attention.

Step 3: Identify Key Recommendations

The recommendations section tells you what to do. Recommendations might be:

Continue as Prescribed

No changes needed. This medicine is appropriate and working well.

Adjust Dose

Change the dose up or down. Example: "Reduce aspirin from 500mg twice daily to 300mg once daily."

Change Medicine

Switch to a different medicine in the same class that might work better or have fewer side effects. Example: "Consider switching from Drug A to Drug B due to side effect profile."

Stop Medicine

Discontinue the medicine. This might happen immediately or gradually (deprescribing).

Add Medicine

Occasionally, the review might recommend adding a medicine if something important is missing from the regimen.

Monitor or Review

Continue the medicine but monitor for specific effects. Example: "Continue blood pressure medicine; monitor and review in 3 months."

What to do: List all recommendations. Categorise them as high-priority (addresses safety issues, severe side effects) or lower-priority (optimisation, efficiency). This helps you prioritise implementation with your claimant's doctor.

Step 4: Understand Drug Interactions

The report identifies interactions between medicines. Interactions are categorised by severity:

• Major interaction: Potentially dangerous; requires action
• Moderate interaction: Significant; warrants attention and monitoring
• Minor interaction: Unlikely to cause significant problems; may not require action

For each interaction, the report should explain: What happens when these medicines interact? What should be done about it?

What to do: If the report identifies major interactions, bring these to your claimant's doctor's attention immediately. These need resolution. Moderate interactions need monitoring. Your claimant's doctor should watch for symptoms related to the interaction.

Step 5: Review the Deprescribing Plan (if included)

If the report recommends stopping medicines, there should be a deprescribing plan. This is not "stop immediately." It's a schedule for safe, gradual withdrawal.

A good deprescribing plan includes:

• Which medicine to stop first (usually the least critical)
• Starting dose and reduction schedule (e.g., "reduce by 10% every week")
• Timeline to complete withdrawal
• What to monitor (what symptoms might occur; when to contact doctor)
• When to contact the doctor if problems arise

What to do: Share the deprescribing plan with your claimant's doctor. They'll implement it. For opioids and benzodiazepines, deprescribing is slow and requires close monitoring. Your claimant may experience withdrawal symptoms; this is normal and expected. Support your claimant through the process.

Step 6: Talk to Your Claimant About the Report

Once you understand the report, discuss it with your claimant. Use plain language:

Don't overwhelm your claimant with clinical detail. Focus on what matters: side effects they can avoid, improvements they might experience, deprescribing timeline, and what they need to do (usually: make an appointment with their doctor).

Step 7: Share with Your Claimant's Doctor

Send the pharmacy review report to your claimant's GP or treating specialist. Include a cover letter:

Example letter: "Dear [Doctor], I've enclosed a medication review for my claimant [Name]. The pharmacist identified several findings I wanted you to see. Could we discuss these recommendations and your thoughts on implementation? Happy to discuss any concerns. Thank you."

This positions the report as a consultation, not a directive. Most doctors welcome expert pharmacy input; some may have different perspectives. That's OK. The goal is informed discussion.

Step 8: Implement Recommendations Gradually

Medication changes take time. Don't expect everything to be implemented immediately.

1. Your claimant's doctor reviews the report and decides which recommendations to implement
2. Your claimant's doctor discusses changes with your claimant
3. Medications are changed (usually one at a time)
4. You and your claimant monitor for effects
5. Follow-up appointment with doctor to assess effectiveness

This process might take weeks or months, especially if deprescribing is involved. Be patient. Monitor your claimant for improvements: reduced side effects, better function, better sleep, improved mood, increased engagement in rehabilitation.

Step 9: Track Outcomes

After medication changes are implemented, track whether improvements occur:

• Reduced side effects: drowsiness, nausea, constipation, etc.?
• Improved function: better energy, clearer thinking, better coordination?
• Better rehabilitation engagement: attending physio, improving exercise tolerance?
• Improved wellbeing: better mood, better sleep, better quality of life?
• Shorter claim duration: recovery progressing faster?

If improvements occur, that shows the pharmacy review provided value. Share positive outcomes with your insurer; they inform decisions about future pharmacy reviews in similar claims.

Understanding Pharmacy Review Language

Here's a translation guide for common pharmacy review terms: