Home Care Patient's Experiences and Medication Burden Related to High-Risk Medication Use: A Cross-Sectional Study

Age, polypharmacy and comorbidity are examples of known factors that increase the risk of adverse drug reactions in patients. The use of high-risk medication also entails a heightened risk of harm. There is currently no information available on the home care patients' experiences and medication burden experienced due to their high-risk medication use and how they manage their medication. Further investigation with regard to this combination is necessary. The patient's experiences and medication burden related to high-risk medication use can be taken into account when drawing up guidelines and standards of care for healthcare professionals.

To describe home care patients' experiences and medication burden related to high-risk medication use, more specifically how patients manage their high-risk medication use, which professional support they receive and which potential adverse drug reactions they experience.

A cross-sectional study of home care patients in Belgium, aged 65 years and older who took at least one high-risk medication.

In our population of 106 home care patients, a median use of 8 medications per patient is reported, of which 2 can be considered high-risk medication. Metformin, insulin and lormetazepam are the most frequently used high-risk medications. Home care patients believe their medication is important to them, are able to manage the intake and seem to have a high level of therapy adherence. Most patients do not believe their medication intake implies a certain risk. Most patients are supported by a home care nurse for the preparation of their medication. A mean number of 5 symptoms/potential adverse drug reactions is reported out of the 21 potential adverse drug reactions questioned. The potential adverse drug reaction most frequently attributed to medication use was bleeding.

Practice guidelines with detailed medicine-specific protocols are needed to enhance (high-risk) medication-related care in an overall high-risk medication policy. Understanding the patient's risk experiences and communicating with the patient is important to ensure safe medication care but also to identify patients at risk for nonadherence and adverse reactions. The patient's experiences with their medication intake provide rich information for healthcare providers and should therefore be included in patient observations. Home care nurses should closely follow up on the home care patient's medication therapy with respect for the patient's autonomy.