Nurse practitioners should take a proactive approach to
addressing safety and tolerability issues with patients when
they are first prescribed a particular medication. Patients
should leave the clinic with a good understanding of what
side effects may occur, how serious the side effects may be,
and what action they should take if a particular side effect
occurs. The nurse practitioner should ascertain whether the
patient already has any concerns that may prevent him or her
from filling the prescription, and try to address them.