Provider Perspectives of Medication Complexity in Home Health Care: A Qualitative Secondary Data Analysis

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Medication management is a critical home care service for older adults.
• Challenges in home medication management elevate risks of hospital admission, readmission, and adverse events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore medication management challenges from the perspective of home care providers.
• To identify factors contributing to medication complexity and management issues in older adults receiving home care.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative secondary data analysis of interview data from an interprofessional educational intervention study.
• Directed and summative content analysis of data from 90 clinician and student participants.

Main Results:

• Central themes included medication safety issues and provider-provider communication problems related to medication complexity.
• Fragmented care coordination was identified as a significant contributor to medication management complexity.
• Patient-, provider-, and system-level factors were found to influence medication complexity, communication, and coordination.

Conclusions:

• Home care providers encounter multifaceted challenges in managing medications for older adults.
• Addressing medication complexity requires improving interprofessional communication and care coordination.
• System-level interventions are needed to mitigate risks associated with medication management in home care settings.