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Medication Review Report

Decent Essays

Drugs are a double-edged sword by providing therapeutic effects with the potential to be toxic when it is not used properly. Medication safety has become a concern, especially with the rise in chronic illness and the aging population leading to polypharmacy, where a patient take multiple medications, increasing risk of drug related problems (Kwan & Farrell, 2013). As a solution, the Government of Ontario introduced and funded a pharmacist led medication review program called MedsCheck. Started in 2007, patients who take over three chronic medications are eligible for an annual 30 minute one-to-one medication consultation with the pharmacist to make sure medications are taken properly and safely. This program was expanded in 2010 to include …show more content…

For adults over the age of 65 in Canada, fall-related hospitalization accounted for 85% of injury-related hospital admissions and 7% of all hospitalization in this age group in 2008 to 2009. (Scott, Wagar, Sum, Metcalfe, & Wagar, 2010). The result from a pilot study performed by Roja-Fernandez, Seymour, & Brown (2014) showed a 57% relative increase in fall reduction overtime when pharmacist at a LTC facility in Ontario assessed risk of fall injury due to medication while performing a medication review with the aid of an algorithm. Therefore, discontinuation of unnecessary medication or medication change suggested by pharmacist during medication review can prevent fall injury and hospitalization for seniors (Roja-Fernandez, Seymour, & Brown, …show more content…

One of the most successful programs implemented led by pharmacist was the Asheville Project started in the late 1990s in Asheville, North Carolina to provide management for diabetes patient (Smith, 2009). The pharmacist would provide diabetic medication consultation, patient training on glucose monitoring device, educate patient on lifestyle management and ultimately develop a plan that is patient specific to help meet his health target with follow-ups (Smith, 2009), which is similar to the goals outlined in MedsCheck for Diabetes in Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 2011). The Asheville program demonstrated many positive patient outcome including 50% of participants improved the mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) value and reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, which ultimately led to a decrease in emergency department visits to a rate of one-third of the national average (Cranor, Bunting, & Christensen, 2003). In fact, the success of this initiative allowed the extension of the Asheville program to include management for asthma, hypertension and high cholesterol (American Pharmacists Association,

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