Building Community-Engaged Multidisciplinary Partnerships to Improve Medication Management in Elderly Patients With...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Services Research
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research

Background:

• Adverse drug events (ADEs) prevention research is often researcher-driven, lacking patient involvement.
• Minority elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions face unique medication safety challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engage minority elderly patients in developing research questions and strategies for improving medication safety.
• To incorporate patient perspectives into the research process for more effective interventions.

Main Methods:

• Recruited elderly patients (≥65 years) with ≥7 chronic medications from a historically African American community in Houston, Texas.
• Convened a multidisciplinary workgroup including patients, caregivers, physicians, pharmacists, nurses, health educators, and social workers.
• Utilized patient-centered outcomes research engagement principles, conducted an environmental scan, and presented findings at a community town hall.

Main Results:

• 3 patients and 1 caregiver participated in 5 workgroup meetings; 74 seniors attended a town hall, and 69 completed surveys.
• Top concerns included doubts about drug advertisements (79%) and drug interactions (70%).
• 88% preferred face-to-face counseling over virtual methods, informing 3 grant proposals.

Conclusions:

• This study offers a roadmap for patient-centered, multidisciplinary research in medication safety.
• Patient engagement is crucial for refining research strategies and minimizing drug-related problems.
• Findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive, accessible medication counseling methods.