Pharmacists in Home/Hospice/Palliative Care Settings

What is it about?

Medication Related Problems (MRPs) have been estimated to cost approximately $177.4 billion per year and are estimated to be one of the top 5 causes of death in the elderly population. Approximately 20% of elderly residents experience a significant delay in medication administration and missed doses. More than 60% of seniors over 65 get admitted to hospitals due to pneumonia, reported by AAFP. Influenza and pneumonia combined add up to the sixth leading cause of death in America — 90% of these are senior adults. By 2056, 480,000 Canadian deaths per year are predicted with 90% of those deaths being eligible for palliative care. Prescribing in the older population is highly complex. Age-related kinetic and dynamic changes lead to variations in drug bioavailability, increased drug sensitivity, and decreased regulatory mechanisms, altering the effects of drug usage from those observed in younger populations. In addition, the presence of multiple co-morbidities necessitating multiple medication usage equates to an increased risk of medication misadventure in older adults. Advancing age is positively correlated with increased prevalence of chronic disease, and increased number of co-morbidities correlates with increased medication use. Community pharmacists are among the most accessible front-line primary care practitioners and are well positioned to affect the care of home-bound patients. Pharmacist-directed home medication reviews could serve to minimize inappropriate use of medication, maximize health care cost savings and expand the scope of pharmacy practice.

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Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash

Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash