(Oakland, NJ, October 15, 2008)– The statistics point to how serious the problem is: More than 1.9 million adverse drug events occur annually in seniors enrolled in Medicare, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA 2003;289:1107-16). These medication errors cause falls, can land seniors in the emergency room or hospital, and even cause an estimated 180,000 life-threatening or fatal situations annually. The real tragedy? Many of these unfortunate events are preventable.
One group of pharmacists is dedicated to reducing the number of medication errors among seniors and helping seniors stay healthy. They are consultant and senior care pharmacists. Consultant and senior care pharmacists manage and improve medication therapy of the senior population and other individuals residing in a variety of environments, including hospitals, nursing facilities, subacute care and assisted living facilities, psychiatric hospitals, hospice, and home- and community-based care. October 19-25, 2008, the last week of American Pharmacists Month, is National Consultant and Senior Care Pharmacist Week. The purpose of National Consultant & Senior Care Pharmacists Week is to raise awareness of this specialty practice of pharmacy.
While medications are probably the single most important factor in improving the quality of life for older Americans, the nation’s seniors are especially at risk for medication-related problems due to physiological changes of aging, higher incidence of multiple chronic diseases and conditions, and greater consumption of prescription and over-the-counter medications.
The economic impact of medication-related problems in persons over the age of 65 now rivals that of Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Medication-related problems now account for $201 billion in direct medical costs annually. Medication-related problems are estimated to be one of the top five causes of death in this age group, and a major cause of confusion, depression, falls, disability, and loss of independence.
Consultant and senior care pharmacists are medication therapy experts who take responsibility for their patients’ medication-related needs; ensure that their patients’ medications are the most appropriate, the most effective, the safest possible, and are used correctly; and identify, resolve, and prevent medication-related problems that may interfere with the goals of therapy. Their presence on a health care team makes a difference: A recent study found that consultant pharmacist-conducted medication regimen review increases the number of patients who experience optimal therapeutic outcomes by 43% and saves $3.6 billion annually in costs from avoided medication-related problems.
An important goal of therapy is to achieve the highest level of functioning possible. Consultant and senior care pharmacists apply their clinical competence, observational skills, and assessment expertise to ensure that the senior patient’s medication regimen is not contributing to common geriatric problem areas that may lead to excess disability, loss of independence, and decreased quality of life.
For more information on medicated-related problems, visit www.seniorcarepharmacists.com
Joy Johnson Consulting LLC based in Oakland, NJ, provides consultant pharmacy services to Long term care facilities as well as to persons in the community managing complicated drug regimen. Dr. Joy Johnson is a certified geriatric pharmacist and has been practicing pharmacy for over 20years. She can be contacted at jjconsult@optimum.net or 201-651-1677.