Are medications causing hospital visits among older patients?

摘要

AS PHARMACISTS, WE ARE INVOLVED IN HELPING TO MANAGE patients' medication regimes and to ensure that pharmacother-apy helps to achieve positive outcomes. In this quest, we provide counselling to our patients and recommendations to and collaboration with other health care providers. Overall, we work to ensure that medications are properly utilized and managed to avoid or minimize adverse effects. One of the largest groups of patients for whom this monitoring is necessary is the elderly, as we know that they are more sensitive to medications and therefore, susceptible to their adverse effects. A recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine by Budnitz and colleagues considers this particular patient group of older adults (aged 65 and older) and assesses medication use that leads to emergency department visits.