Final answer:
Before prescribing medications for COPD to a hypertensive patient, obtaining a complete medication history is essential to prevent drug interactions and ensure safe treatment. Baseline laboratory values and liver enzyme levels assessment can also be significant for understanding the patient's health status.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a patient with hypertension is diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), it is crucial to take specific actions before prescribing medications for COPD. The most appropriate initial action should be to obtain a complete medication history. This is essential because understanding the patient's current medication regimen is critical to prevent potential drug interactions and to ensure that the new COPD medications will not adversely affect the patient's blood pressure levels.
Given that the patient is already on three medications for hypertension, careful consideration should be given to their current treatment, which may include thiazide-diuretics, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). COPD treatments often include supplemental oxygen and inhaled bronchodilators, which may have interactions with the patient's current antihypertensive medications.
In addition to obtaining a complete medication history, it might also be pertinent to obtain baseline laboratory values and assess liver enzyme levels, as these can provide additional information about the patient’s overall health status and how they may metabolize the COPD medications. It is generally less critical to determine whether the patient has insurance coverage at the outset of prescribing treatment, although it will become relevant when considering treatment accessibility and affordability.