Potential Inappropriate Medication (HT)

Polypharmacy, described as an individual taking more than four medications, can be concerning with the aging population. Polypharmacy concerns include adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, higher cost, decreased mobility, decreased quality of life and cognition impairment. Those at greater risk of negative polypharmacy consequences include elderly, psychiatric patients, recently hospitalized, individuals with multiple doctors or pharmacies and people with impaired vision or dexterity. There are times that polypharmacy is at times needed to help a person with their diagnosis, an example of this is using multiple medications to treat congestive heart failure which can include digoxin, diuretics, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors

Modern medical advancements have significantly decreased the prevalence and severity of infectious disease as well as the treatment of acute, traumatic conditions. Pharmacological research has also gained insight into the management of chronic disease. Still, there is an epidemic of chronic, treatable diseases like stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. Hypertension proves to be the underlying factor associated with these diseases. Hypertension is often referred to as the silent killer because of its indication in deadly disease, and the importance of monitoring ones blood pressure is vital. Lifestyle, diet, and genetic predisposition are all factors of high blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure above safe levels, known as hypertension, puts elevated physical stress on the renal and cardiovascular systems. By controlling this factor in patients, healthcare providers can decrease cardiovascular events, improve health outcomes, and decrease overall mortality. Patient education is often overlooked in its role in the control and prevention of high blood pressure. This paper analyzes the causes and physiology behind high blood pressure as they relate to the current nursing interventions. The role of nurses is discussed in relation to patient education regarding high blood pressure, and educational approaches are analyzed.

The National Prescribing Centre recognize some fundamental differences in the absorption, distribution and excretion of medicines between adults and children. The differences are published in the National Prescribing Centre’s bulletin, produced by

The largest deficit that can be produced to avoid adverse reactions to drug taken in combination is to avoid doing it all such as alcohol and other depressants. Individuals that need to take multiple medications such as person with diabetes and high blood pressure need to be carefully monitored and educated on the effects of the medications individually and the effects of the medications when combined.

Specific Aims 2: Determine the effect pharmacists have on preventing drug-drug and drug-disease interactions in nursing homes. Our working hypothesis is that the pharmacists, being drug experts, can identify medications that may interact with each other or interact with a certain condition before it occurs. The elderly have health status that is deteriorating and are more likely to have frequent modifications in drug therapy, as the conditions get worse. We predict that pharmacists in nursing homes will identify the interacts with continuous modification in

The main concern about having the elderly on so many medications at once is the chance of adverse drug reactions from potential drug interactions. They can be on both prescribed medications and over the counter medications, vitamins, or supplements. The most common over the counter medications that often lead to serious adverse drug reactions include acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin (Woodruff, 2010). Another reason that the elderly are more susceptible to adverse drug reactions is the fat and water composition changes, they have increased fat storage and decreased total body water, this allows for higher concentration of water soluble drugs and longer half-lives of fat soluble drugs (Woodruff, 2010). Changes in the liver and

During a interview with County Pharmacists Associations newly elected president, Lillian Shisehaunt, pharmacist, said there were a few concerns that needed to be made aware of. She began to speak the concerns about how older people are taking way too many medications at the same time. In this meeting, other pharmacist agreed to the statement stated as well.

“polypharmacy as the use of five or more prescription medications—is common among seniors and can lead to reduced compliance with medication regimens and problems with drug–drug interactions” (2012, p.428). Elderly patients are mostly at risk to polypharmacy issues due to aging effects on how the body tolerates medications, and also, as a result of taking more medications than younger patients. Reason et al., continues to demonstrate that the use of prescription increase with age and in association with multiple morbidities in the elderly patients. Medications such as over the counter drugs, herbal preps, and home remedies are widely used by older adults. These medications have a higher risk of causing adverse drug reaction especially with

Some of these health complications could include hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and diabetes mellitus (also known as Type 2 Diabetes). Common adverse outcomes related to polypharmacy can greatly increase the risk of morbidity and mortality in the geriatric population (2010). An example of these adverse effects could be “any undesirable bodily effects that are a direct response to one or more drugs” caused by either direct effect of a medication or a drug-to-drug reaction (Lilley et al., 2011). Another risk factor regarding polypharmacy is the high chance of falls in the elderly, caused by the high amount of medications being consumed (Sergi et al., 2011). Considering some of the life threatening effects related to polypharmacy in the elderly, this has become a major concern in healthcare. If the elderly had better knowledge of the adverse effects and possible outcomes of polypharmacy, it could potentially decrease these harmful events and lower the chance of morbidity or mortality. This can make us question, what is polypharmacy amongst the geriatric population and how can it be

The geriatric populations are influenced by many factors that contribute to an increase risk of complications associated with polypharmacy, including physiologic changes altering pharmacokinetics of many medications, cognitive function, and coexisting illness. Having co-existing medical conditions requires that the patient see different specialists which increases the risk of being prescribed too many medications since the providers are all working independently of each other. Often times, adverse reaction can be mistaken for the “normal” signs of aging therefore it is not treated. Not recognizing the adverse reactions can lead to more prescribed medication in hope of treating the adverse reactions. Often times, this can be solved by either changing to an alternative medication or changing the dose of the offending

Hypertension is a common health problem especially among people over age of 60 years. This disease is diagnostic when a patient blood pressure is more than 140 to 159 over 90 to 99. Blood pressure refers to the pressure that blood applies to the inner walls of the Diabetes is an endocrine system disorder that occurs when the body is unable to control or balance the amount of sugar in blood and within bodily tissues. You know that the human body is like a machine, with organ systems that are specialized in certain functions, and interact with each other to allow all vital functions to happen. For the body to stay healthy, it is essential that its internal environment is stable and balanced despite the different changes that can occur inside

A definition of hypertension is essential in understanding the thesis presented. Hypertension is used to describe high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force against the walls of the artery as your heart pumps blood through your body.1 There are two numbers in blood pressure, which are the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). The systolic blood pressure is the top number of the two numbers in the blood pressure reading and diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number. Systolic blood pressure is your blood pressure when you are active, which is why it is higher than your diastolic blood pressure since that is your blood pressure when you are at rest.1 Hypertension is when your

Although the causes of essential hypertension are unclear a number of factors have been known to increase blood pressure. Changes either from genes, behavioral, or the environment which disrupt the normal functions of the body may cause a rise in blood pressure. Other factors that increase blood pressure are kidney fluid and salt balances, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, sympathetic nervous system activity, and blood vessel structure and function (Bolivar, 2013). Since blood pressure homeostasis is accomplished by multifactorial mechanisms if there is a change in one of these mechanisms another attempts to correct this change in order to maintain a normal blood pressure. When this system fails and blood pressure can no longer be normalized by this method than essential hypertension results.

Hypertension is a chronic medical health condition where blood pressure is increased. It describes as systolic blood pressure 140 or above, and diastolic blood pressure is 90 or more than is diagnosed as hypertension (Health.Vic.2017). In the Hampton Park, the community suffers from high blood pressure. It is one of the chronic medical health conditions.

Hypertension is defined a consistent elevation of the systolic blood pressure above 140mmHg, a diastolic pressure above 90mmHg or a report of taking antihypertensive medication. Early diagnosis and effective management of hypertension is essential because it is a major modifiable risk factor to cerebrovascular, cardiac, vascular, and renal diseases. The higher the blood pressure, the greater the risk for heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease.