Identifying and addressing drug-related problems in nursing homes: An unmet need in Malaysia?

S. W.H. Lee, C. S. Chong, D. W.K. Chong

Research output: Contribution to journalLetterOtherpeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To the Editor

Nursing homes are required to provide personal care to a broad range of residential patients. While medications are an integral part of this care, medication risks may not recognised, particularly in vulnerable elderly patients. Pharmacist-led medication reconciliation has been shown to reduce the number of medications in nursing homes, and is part of USA health care 1-3. In Malaysia, few studies have examined this issue. We conducted a prospective exploratory study which involved medication review of 20 residents of a nursing home in a semi-urban setting, from 1 November 2013 to 31 January 2014. Medication review was undertaken by a year 4 pharmacy student with input from a clinical pharmacist, who together took a medical history, recorded details of all medication, and current medical problems. Medication-related problems were identified from this data. Potentially inappropriate medications with clear causal correlations or contribution to the principal reason were documented. Another clinical pharmacist independently classified each medication-related problem. Disagreement was resolved through discussion to arrive at a consensus classification. The Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee approved this study (CF13/2911-2013001564).
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)512-512
Number of pages1
JournalInternational Journal of Clinical Practice
Volume70
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2016

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