A Importância Do Farmacêutico Na Gestão Dos Medicamentos Nas Estruturas Residenciais Para Pessoas Idosas Em Portugal

Bell, Victoria; Pita, João Rui

doi:10.14450/2318-9312.v33.e4.a2021.pp313-322

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The health and well-being of older adults are affected by the physiological, psychological, social, and economic changes that occur with ageing. The problems resulting from these changes can interfere with the older adult’s ability to autonomously perform daily activities, making them more dependent and increasing the need for family or institutional support [ 45 ].…”

Section: Ageing and The Elderlymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Portuguese law, all stages of the medicine supply chain (production, distribution, and retail sale) must have a pharmacist as the responsible person [ 146 ]. Although long-term care facilities are not legally obliged to have a pharmacist, we believe that by doing so, medicine acquisition, storage, and distribution would be improved, and most importantly, medicine-related problems could be avoided in these facilities [ 45 ].…”

Section: Emergent Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pharmacist Intervention in Portuguese Older Adult Care

et al. 2022

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Healthy ageing has become one of the most significant challenges in a society with an increasing life expectancy. Older adults have a greater prevalence of chronic disease, with the need for multiple medications to appropriately control these issues. In addition to their health concerns, ageing individuals are prone to loneliness, dependence, and economic issues, which may affect their quality of life. Governments and health professionals worldwide have developed various strategies to promote active and healthy ageing to improve the quality of life of older adults. Pharmacists are highly qualified health professionals, easily accessible to the population, thus playing a pivotal role in medication management. Their proximity to the patient puts them in a unique position to provide education and training to improve therapeutic adherence and identify medication-related problems. This paper aims to address the importance of Portuguese community pharmacists in the medication management of older adults, emphasising their intervention in health promotion, patient education, medication-related problems, deprescription, dose administration aids, and medication review and reconciliation. We also discuss home delivery services and medication management in long-term care facilities.

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Section: Ageing and The Elderlymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Emergent Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pharmacist Intervention in Portuguese Older Adult Care

et al. 2022

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“…Several health problems become more prevalent, such as hearing, vision, and movement loss, cardiovascular diseases, strokes, malignancies, chronic and psychological disorders, like depression and dementia. 3 - 5 In order to reduce these inherent effects of ageing, elderly patients are usually subjected to multiple pharmacological treatments, with the risk of including potentially inappropriate medication (PIM). The physiological changes resulting from ageing affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and increase the risk of drug interactions and adverse drug reactions (ADRs), such as dizziness and loss of balance that can result in falls.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation of institutionalised Portuguese older adult fallers: is there a place for pharmacist intervention? A preliminary study

Ferreira¹,

Mascarenhas-Melo²,

Rodrigues³

et al. 2022

PHARMPRACT

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Background: Falls are a major public health issue, given their prevalence and social impact. Older adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCF) are at greater risk of injury resulting from a fall due to multiple factors, such as nutritional, functional/cognitive impairment, postural instability, polypharmacy, and the presence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). Medication management in LTCF is complex and often sub-optimal and might be crucial for falls. Pharmacist intervention is important, since they have a unique knowledge of medication. However, studies mapping the impact of pharmaceutical activities in Portuguese LTC settings are scarce. Objective: This study aims to assess the characteristics of older adult fallers living in LTFCs and examine the relationship between falling and several factors in this population. We also intend to explore the prevalence of PIMs and their relationship with the occurrence of falls. Methods: The study was conducted in two long-term care facilities for elderly people, in the central region of Portugal. We included patients aged 65 and older with no reduced mobility or physical weakness and with the ability to understand spoken and written Portuguese. The following information was assessed: sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, polypharmacy, fear of falling, functional, nutritional and cognitive status. PIMs were evaluated according to the Beers criteria (2019). Results: A total of 69 institutionalised older adults, 45 women and 24 men, with a mean age of 83.14 ± 8.87 years were included. The prevalence of falls was 21.74% Out of these, 46.67% (n=7) fell once, 13.33% (n=2) fell twice, and 40% (n=6) fell 3 or more times. Fallers were mainly women, had lower levels of education, were well nourished, had moderate to severe levels of dependence, and displayed moderate cognitive impairment. All adult fallers had a fear of falling. The main comorbidities of this population were related to the cardiovascular system. Polypharmacy was present in every patient, and at least one PIM was identified in 88.41% of the subjects. Fear of falling (FOF) and cognitive impairment (in subjects with 1 to 11 years of education) showed statistically significant associations with the occurrence of falls (p=0.005 and p=0.05, respectively). No significant differences were found between fallers and non-fallers for any other factors. Conclusions: This present study is a preliminary contribution to characterise a group of older adult fallers living in Portuguese LTCFs and demonstrated that fear of falling and cognitive impairment are associated with the occurrence of falls in this population. The high prevalence of polypharmacy and PIMs emphasises the need for tailored interventions featuring the collaboration of a pharmacist to optimise medication management in this population.

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A Importância Do Farmacêutico Na Gestão Dos Medicamentos Nas Estruturas Residenciais Para Pessoas Idosas Em Portugal

Cited by 2 publications

References 19 publications

Pharmacist Intervention in Portuguese Older Adult Care

Pharmacist Intervention in Portuguese Older Adult Care

Characterisation of institutionalised Portuguese older adult fallers: is there a place for pharmacist intervention? A preliminary study

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