How to Avoid Polypharmacy Problems with Dispensing
Polypharmacy is the simultaneous use by a patient of a number of medications. This is nothing but a statement of fact. While there is no clearly defined number of medications qualified as polypharmacy, technically it is. Polypharmacy is generally accepted to be the most common among the elderly, apparent in approximately 40% of elderly people living at home. Chronic and intellectually disabled patients usually have polypharmaceutical treatments.
Polypharmacy becomes a problem with increasing numbers of medicines, increasing numbers of doctors prescribing medications for a patient and increasing numbers of pharmacists taking the medicines. The drug interaction, efficacy and health are ultimately affected by increased polypharmacy without proper medication reconciliation and review. You can initiate point of care medication dispensing for a smooth delivery.
Polypharmacy is not usually an issue with a younger population as many people only take a few medications that are easily managed. However, for a number of reasons, polypharmacy is a concern for seniors and the vulnerable elderly. Elderly people are at higher risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to metabolic changes and reduces the age-related drug clearance, and the increase in the number of drugs used increases this risk.
For patients who have just been released from hospital, this is further complicated. Although written and verbal information has been received, within 30 days, 27% of the elders who were released from the hospital after a heart failure were classified as non-adherents. The majority remembered receiving oral information but less than one out of four recalled any written information. 10% did not know receipt of information.
Up to 30% of inpatient admissions are highly published by Adverse Drug Event (ADEs), which contribute to drug non-adherence and medical errors by polypharmacy. Much of it can be avoided. With older populations and our aging society, it is common for patients to forget to take medicines, creatively alter their pharmaceuticals, and mix their medicines and drug combinations with dire "cocktail" effects range from dizziness and confusion to hallucination, bradycardia, apnea and even death.
Moreover, reconciliation of medicines with all the medications taken by patients, the process of comparing the prescriptions, the prescriptions and OTCs of a patient, also highlights a major factor in ADE. Polypharmacy makes it harder to reconcile medicines. Rezeptures not filled, prescriptions filled in by several drug stores and medicines issued by several doctors are frequently not filled. It is common for drugs and dosages to be altered after hospitalization. A problem occurs when the physician dictates new regimes and stoppages of existing medicines, but not always the pharmacist. The absence of an integrated platform or communication solutions means that polypharmacology is a risk to the patient's well-being.
The Solution for Polypharmacy
In securing known drugs, PD-RX offers a solution. Seniors are notified, authenticated and verified with biometric and visual footage when the time is right for their dose. If they do not take their medicines, they are notified by carers and health care providers. While only one pharmacist is the gatekeeper for the patient, it allows the monitoring of consumption and adherence by other health care providers. At each dispensing, vital and other health information points are collected. All information is uploaded securely to the cloud. The importance, in all communications and medication preparations, of including the pharmacist and only one pharmacist per patient means that reconciliation of medicines is quick and successful.
Come to PD-RX Pharmaceuticals for point of care medication dispensing in a smooth way. Come to us to learn more about it.
**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.