Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
06:59
A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings
Published on: November 9, 2016
33.9K
Inappropriate prescribing in patients accessing specialist palliative day care services
International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
|March 25, 2014
Summary
Patients in palliative care often take inappropriate medications, increasing drug interaction risks. Regularly reviewing these medications can reduce harm and improve patient outcomes in life-limiting illnesses.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care Medicine
- Clinical Pharmacy
- Geriatric Pharmacology
Background:
- Patients in specialist palliative care day services face a high pharmacotherapeutic burden due to routine medication for symptom management and chronic conditions.
- Polypharmacy is common, increasing the risk of drug-related toxicities and drug-drug interactions (DDIs).
- Regular medication evaluation is crucial to align treatments with achievable outcomes, considering patients' remaining life expectancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of inappropriate medication use in palliative care day service patients.
- To identify potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) associated with these medications.
- To quantify the potential prevention of DDIs through the discontinuation of inappropriate medications.
Main Methods:
- A modified Delphi method was employed to assess medication appropriateness in 132 patients at a specialist palliative care center.
- The assessment framework considered remaining life expectancy, time to benefit, goals of care, and treatment targets.
- Potential drug-drug interactions were identified using specialized software and categorized by severity.
Main Results:
- 16% (238 of 1,532) of medications were deemed inappropriate for patients with limited life expectancy, with statins being the most common.
- A total of 267 potential drug-drug interactions were identified, 112 of which were clinically significant.
- Discontinuing inappropriate medications could reduce the medication burden and prevent 31 clinically significant potential drug-drug interactions.
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of patients in specialist palliative care day services are prescribed inappropriate medications.
- These inappropriate medications contribute to increased pharmacotherapeutic burden and heighten the risk of potentially harmful drug-drug interactions.
- Medication reviews should be a routine practice, tailored to the context of life-limiting illnesses and realistic therapeutic goals.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Nursing Ethical Principles II
2.4K
Ethical principles are essential in guiding nurses to fulfill their responsibilities, focusing on the quality of nursing care and decision-making. These principles, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, shape the ethical framework within healthcare settings.
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
2.4K
01:02Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
1.5K
Prescription drugs require a prescription from a medical practitioner and can only be obtained from a pharmacy. They have many applications, including treating pain, anxiety, and hypertension.
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
1.5K
01:26Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios
116
Pharmaceutical poisoning can occur through various channels, impacting an estimated 2 million hospitalized patients in the U.S. annually with serious adverse drug responses. These scenarios encompass both therapeutic uses, such as drug toxicity, where even standard dosages can lead to severe central nervous system depression, and non-therapeutic exposures, including accidental ingestion by children, and environmental and occupational exposures.Unintentional poisonings often involve exploratory...
116
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
395
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
395
01:25Continuing Care
1.8K
Continuing care describes the variety of health, personal, and social services provided over a prolonged period. The need for continuing care is increasing because people are living longer. Many people do not have families or others to care for them. Continuing care is mainly for patients who are disabled, functionally dependent, or suffering from a terminal disease. It is available within institutional settings or in homes. Examples include nursing centers or facilities, assisted living,...
1.8K
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-I
1.2K
Specialized care settings or centers are situated in convenient locations within the community and offer care to a specific group or population. They consist of daycare facilities, mental health facilities, rural health facilities, educational institutions, industries, shelters for the homeless, and rehabilitation facilities.
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...
1.2K