The potential role of the clinical pharmacist in the care of elderly patients receiving health care services at home setting

Objective: In this study, it is aimed to evaluate clinical pharmacist-led mediction review in elderly patients with polypharmacy who are 65 years of age and are receiving home care services and assess medication related problems with the home health care team, where the physician and nurse are involved. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study were included in 100 patients aged 65 years and over with polypharmacy who were registered to the Kocaeli Provincial Health Directorate Home Health Services during May to October 2019. Drug Burden Index (DBI), Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) and Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) were calculated. Medication related problems are classified according to the DOCUMENT Classification System. Results: The mean age of the patients included in the study (women/men; 74/26) was calculated as 78.5±7.9. The median value of the total number of the medication was 7(5-9), the score of the DBI was 0.5(0-0.8), the score of MRCI was 21(17-31) and the score of MAI was calculated as 13(6-16.9). Of them, 96% had at least one drug-related problem. The most common drug-related problems were identified as 'Drug Selection' (66%), 'Education and Information' (58%) and 'Monitoring' (33%). Among the total of 329 drug-related problems, 84.19% (n=277) of the clinical pharmacist recommendations were accepted by the home care team. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the clinical pharmacist has the potential role by preventing, detecting, solving medication related problems in elderly patient receiving health care services at home setting.