[Implementation and improvement in a care program for the elderly on multiple medications in a primary care area]

The purpose is to describe the introduction of a Care Program for the Elderly on Multiple Medication in a Primary Care area and the complete improvement cycle after evaluating the initial results The Program was instigated by the Community of Madrid Pharmacy Directorate.

The Program was aimed at patients over 75 years who took 6 or more active ingredients (9721 patients in the area at the start of the program) and began in September 2006. It is based on coordinating with pharmacists, systematic review of treatment, health education, and the providing of personal dose dispensing systems for the correct use of the medication. Before its introduction, all the health professionals and pharmacists were jointly trained, a person was assigned as being responsible for the primary care teams (EAP) and support material was handed out. An initial evaluation was performed using computerised sentences from the Program data model in the electronic clinical notes, which showed much improvable results. Using quality tools, the causes of low coverage and insufficient results in the rest of the quality indicators were identified and corrective actions were introduced to subsequently monitor and re-assess the program.

Evaluation of the indicators included in the program. Initial data analysis (February 2007): cover, 3.5% (361 users included); treatment review (RT), 2.1%; review of medication use (RU), 51.2%; assessment of knowledge of the medication (CM), 84.8%; Morisky test (TM), 57.6%; offer of personal dispensing system (SPD), 57.1%; treatment evaluation (VT), 50.1%; care plans (PC), 19.2%; beers criteria (CB), 14.9%. After introducing the improvement actions, the following results were obtained in December 2007: cover, 131.8% (12,650 users); RT, 80.6%; RU, 62.7%; CM, 92.4%; TM, 9.3; SPD, 67.3%; VT, 61.6%; PC, 27.59%, and CB, 13.6%.

The introduction of an institutional program, the involvement of the management of Area 4, the application of appropriate quality tools, the continuous monitoring of quality indicators and giving this information back to the professionals has enabled, ten months after the corrective measures were introduced, the institutional objectives of coverage to be achieved. It has also significantly improved quality care activities and their recording, achieving the best results for coverage and quality health care in the Community of Madrid program.