Older adult and caregiver needs for patient-centered outcomes research training in medication optimization

Improved health outcomes and lower costs have been reported with pharmacist-led patient-centered approaches to medication optimization in older adults, but heterogeneity in studies has complicated assessments of how well these approaches have worked. Among the challenges in advancing care from patient-centered research is uncertainty in how well research questions have matched patients' care needs. One strategy is to engage patients, ideally as equal partners, in the preparation, execution, and dissemination of research. The objective of this study was to survey older adults, caregivers, researchers, and pharmacists to better understand the needs for training on patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) focusing on medication optimization in older adults.

A 12-member Community Council was formed to guide the project and to build capacity for engaging older adults, caregivers, researchers, and pharmacists in medication-related patient-centered outcomes research. The Community Council consisted of individuals from three regions: Hawaii, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic. The Council created a needs assessment survey that was deployed electronically.

There were 93 Elder Care Network participants who were asked to complete the needs assessment survey and 74 surveys were received resulting in a response rate of 80% but only 68 were completed and included in the analysis. Explaining what PCOR is, sharing examples of how members of the community can participate in research, discussing how community members can work with research teams to answer questions, and helping respondents understand how research can affect them were the top responses.

Work of the Elder Care Medicine Network illustrates the importance of understanding the ongoing needs for education that are customized to meet the needs and preferences reported by older adults, caregivers, compared to clinicians and researchers.