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Medication management at home: medication risk factor prevalence and inter-relationships
L Sorensen1, J A Stokes, D M Purdie
1Department of Medicine, Therapeutics Research Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Qld, Australia. les@pharmakon.dk
Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics
|September 9, 2006
Summary
In-home observations revealed common medication risks in patients, such as confusion over drug names. These factors, often missed in clinic visits, highlight the need for home-based medication reviews to improve patient health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Pharmacoeconomics
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Medication-related risk factors can lead to poor patient health outcomes.
- These risks are often not evident in standard pharmacy or general practitioner (GP) records.
- Home visits offer a unique perspective on patient medication management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of medication-related risk factors in patients' homes.
- To investigate the inter-relationships between these identified risk factors.
- To assess the value of in-home observations for uncovering hidden medication risks.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted with 204 general practice patients.
- Patients were at risk of medication-related poor health outcomes.
- Community pharmacists and GPs identified medication-related risk factors during in-home visits.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of risk factors ranged from 8.3% (multiple medication storage locations) to 55.9% (confusion over generic and trade names).
- Expired medication showed the most relationships (9) with other risk factors.
- Therapeutic duplication and poor adherence were also significantly related to other risk factors (6 relationships each).
Conclusions:
- In-home observations can identify medication-related risk factors missed during traditional healthcare interactions.
- These findings underscore the importance of home-based medication reviews.
- Addressing these risks can potentially improve patient health outcomes.
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