[Outcomes of Pharmacists' Involvement with Residents of Special Nursing Homes for the Elderly].

[Outcomes of Pharmacists' Involvement with Residents of Special Nursing Homes for the Elderly]. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2018;138(9):1217-1225 Authors: Hashimoto R, Fujii K, Yoshida K, Shimoji S, Masaki H, Kadoyama K, Nakamura T, Onda M Abstract 　The current study aimed to examine the outcomes of pharmacists' involvement with elderly people in special nursing homes. We analyzed 58 cases involving regular visits by community pharmacists to 41 residents. The residents' mean age was 87.8±6.9 years, and 68.3% were prescribed 6 or more types of medication. Antipsychotic and insomnia medication was taken by 24.4% and 31.8% of residents, respectively. Pharmaceutical consultation following medication use accounted for 60.3% of pharmacists' involvement with residents. The outcomes of these consultations included improvements in prescription content; the identification and prevention of adverse drug events; improvement in activities of daily living; and improvement in test results, sleep, and urination/bowel control. The results also suggested that pharmacists' intervention reduced drug costs. Information that facilitated involvement was most frequently acquired via conversations (67.2%) and conferences (24.1%) in the facilities. The most common information sources were care workers (72.4%), followed by nurses (37.9%), physicians (6.9%), and functional training instructors (6.9%). Information was also acquired from patients (3.4%) and their family ...
Source: Yakugaku Zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Yakugaku Zasshi Source Type: research