Adverse drug events in the elderly can be prevented with appropriate monitoring, according to CDC.
Adverse drug events in the elderly can be prevented with appropriate monitoring, according to CDC.
Adults aged 65 years and older are twice as likely to visit the emergency department (ED) due to an adverse drug event and 7 times more likely to be hospitalized as a result of the visit, according to CDC. It is also estimated that more than 40% of these ED visits are because of a small list of medications. The rate of adverse drug events is likely to continue rising, given the aging US population and the associated increase in medication use for multiple comorbidities in this population.
Literature suggests that a few key medications or classes are responsible for the majority of adverse event-related ED visits. The first group of drugs implicated are those that require laboratory monitoring to assess safety and efficacy. Such medications include warfarin, insulin, seizure medications, and digoxin. Patients are urged to check with their physician about the necessity of laboratory monitoring for their particular medications and to comply with monitoring as closely as possible. Unintentional overdose of analgesics, including opioids, is another common cause of adverse events leading to emergency department visits. Patients should notify their providers of all current medications including over-the-counter medications (OTC), to avoid duplication in therapy. Lastly, antibiotics are also implicated. When they are prescribed, patients should complete the entire course of antibiotics and refrain from “saving some for later.” Patients should also understand that not all infections require antibiotics to treat effectively.
Additional recommendations for patients to help minimize medication-related adverse events include keeping an updated medication list, following instructions for taking medications carefully and using them only as directed, and asking questions about their medicines.
“Patients should be encouraged to become active participants in their healthcare. Taking simple steps like keeping an up-to-date medication list that includes over the-counter and herbal medications can be a tremendous help especially when there are multiple prescribers,” said Diana Sobieraj, PharmD, assistant professor of pharmacy, University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, Storrs, Conn. “Working together as a team can help to ensure safe medication practices.”
Coalition promotes important acetaminophen dosing reminders
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Support consumer access to specialty medications through value-based insurance design
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Management of antipsychotic medication polypharmacy
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Medical innovation improves outcomes
June 12th 2013I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the pancreas, a disease that’s long been considered not just incurable, but almost impossible to treat-a recalcitrant disease that some practitioners feel has given oncology a bad name. I was told my life would be measured in weeks.
Coalition promotes important acetaminophen dosing reminders
November 18th 2014It may come as a surprise that each year Americans catch approximately 1 billion colds, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 20% get the flu. This cold and flu season, 7 in 10 patients will reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine to treat their coughs, stuffy noses, and sniffles. It’s an important time of the year to remind patients to double check their medicine labels so they don’t double up on medicines containing acetaminophen.
Support consumer access to specialty medications through value-based insurance design
June 30th 2014The driving force behind consumer cost-sharing provisions for specialty medications is the acquisition cost and not clinical value. This appears to be true for almost all public and private health plans, says a new report from researchers at the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID Center) and the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).
Management of antipsychotic medication polypharmacy
June 13th 2013Within our healthcare-driven society, the increase in the identification and diagnosis of mental illnesses has led to a proportional increase in the prescribing of psychotropic medications. The prevalence of mental illnesses and subsequent treatment approaches may employ monotherapy as first-line treatment, but in many cases the use of combination of therapy can occur, leading to polypharmacy.1 Polypharmacy can be defined in several ways but it generally recognized as the use of multiple medications by one patient and the most common definition is the concurrent use of five more medications. The presence of polyharmacy has the potential to contribute to non-compliance, drug-drug interactions, medication errors, adverse events, or poor quality of life.
Medical innovation improves outcomes
June 12th 2013I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the pancreas, a disease that’s long been considered not just incurable, but almost impossible to treat-a recalcitrant disease that some practitioners feel has given oncology a bad name. I was told my life would be measured in weeks.
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