What should the medical assistant verify with the patient before providing a prescription for an acute ear infection?

Before providing a prescription for an acute ear infection, it is crucial for the medical assistant to verify the patient's medication allergies. This verification is important because knowing if a patient has any allergies to medications can prevent potentially life-threatening reactions, such as anaphylaxis or other serious side effects. Different antibiotics and medications used to treat ear infections can cause allergic reactions in some individuals, so this step is essential to ensure the patient's safety and to select an appropriate treatment.

Checking current medications is also important in order to avoid drug interactions, but it does not have the immediate impact on safety that confirming allergies does. Family medical history can provide helpful context about inherited conditions but is less relevant to the immediate need for allergy verification. Coping mechanisms may be useful in understanding the patient's overall health and wellbeing but are not directly related to the safety of prescribing medication for an acute ear infection.