Pharmacists' perceptions of geriatric pharmacy practice

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Pharmacy
• Pharmacy Education

Background:

• Geriatric pharmacy practice requires specialized knowledge and skills.
• Current pharmacy curricula may not adequately address geriatric-specific needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess pharmacists' perceptions of essential content areas for geriatric pharmacy curricula.
• To identify the most challenging aspects of geriatric pharmacy practice.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 432 pharmacists from geriatric practice organizations.
• Assessed importance of 51 content areas and perceived practice difficulties.

Main Results:

• Top curriculum areas: pharmacist responsibility in long-term care, patient compliance, drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, psychotropic medication use.
• Key practice challenges: inadequate geriatric knowledge, patient compliance, physician overprescribing, communication with the elderly, lack of recognition.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacy curricula should prioritize core geriatric content areas identified by practitioners.
• Addressing challenges in knowledge, communication, and recognition is crucial for advancing geriatric pharmacy practice.