A pilot study of pharmacist medication regimen reviews for long-term care residents

Current legislation requires pharmacist medication regimen reviews (MRRs) for residents of nursing facilities, but not for adult family homes or assisted living facilities. However, residents living in adult family homes and assisted living facilities, like residents of nursing facilities, often have complicated medication histories. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential benefits of on-site MRRs for long-term care residents, specifically those living in adult family homes and assisted living facilities. Comprehensive MRRs were conducted at three different facilities (two adult family homes and one assisted living facility), and medication intervention recommendations were sent to the residents' primary care providers. There were 77 total recommendations made for 15 residents (average five recommendations per resident). Five of 12 primary care providers (42%) responded to pharmacist recommendations and accepted 10 of the 21 (48%) recommendations. This study helps confirm that on-site MRRs by pharmacists can identify potential medication problems, reduce polypharmacy, and reduce medication costs for residents of adult family homes and assisted living facilities through communication with primary care providers.