A home healthcare and school of pharmacy partnership to reduce falls

Much emphasis has been placed on the impact of falls among older adults, and the relationship between polypharmacy and falls in community-dwelling elders. As home healthcare agencies' critical role in the continuum of care is recognized, so is the responsibility for ensuring that quality patient outcomes are achieved resulting in reduced hospitalizations. As we examined the factors involved in falls and hospitalizations with our home care population, it became evident that the pharmacist plays a critical role in helping to ensure that risk factors associated with falls are minimized through a thorough medication therapy review, completed in collaboration with the case manager and the physician. This project was initiated to positively impact patient outcomes by identifying potential medication issues in those patients who were also identified as high fall risk.