Open Access Repository
The effect of a residential care pharmacist on medication administration practices in aged care: A controlled trial

Full text not available from this repository.
Abstract
What is known and objective: With the ageing of the population also comes increasing comorbidities and the use of multiple medications and administration methods,along with greater susceptibility to adverse drug reactions. Dosage form modificationto facilitate drug administration in older adults can be potentially problematic as altering the original licensed formulation can affect medication safety and efficacy. Thereporting of adverse drug reactions and medication incidents is a key strategy inavoiding preventable adverse drug events for aged care residents. This study evaluated the effect of an on‐site clinical pharmacist on reducing inappropriate dosage formmodification and staff time spent on medication administration, and optimizing thedocumentation of drug allergies, adverse drug reactions and medication incidents.Methods: A pilot‐controlled trial was performed in a purposive sample of two residentialaged care homes. Both homes belonged to the same organization; the study site had 104beds and the control site had 100 beds. All permanent residents were eligible for inclusionin the study if written consent was provided. A residential care pharmacist position wasimplemented at the study site for six months, with a focus on performing medication reviews and quality improvement activities. Observational audits of medication rounds wereperformed, and documentation relating to allergies, adverse drug reactions, and medication incidents was obtained from both sites before and after the pharmacist trial period.Results: At the study site, there was a significant reduction over the trial in the proportion of inappropriate dosage form modification (from 24% to 0% of all dosageform modifications; P What is new and conclusion: Including a pharmacist in a residential aged care homecan improve medication administration practices by reducing inappropriate dosageform modification and staff time spent on medication administration rounds, and increasing the documentation of resident allergies, adverse drug reactions and medication incidents. These findings warrant further exploration in a large randomizedcontrolled trial.
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: | McDerby, N and Kosari, S and Bail, K and Shield, A and Peterson, G and Naunton, M |
Keywords: | Pharmacist, nursing home, residential aged care, medication management |
Journal or Publication Title: | Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics |
Publisher: | Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
ISSN: | 0269-4727 |
DOI / ID Number: | 10.1111/jcpt.12822 |
Copyright Information: | Copyright 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. |
Related URLs: | |
Item Statistics: | View statistics for this item |
Actions (login required)
![]() |
Item Control Page |