More evidence to support medication reviews in nursing homes

It would not be surprising to hear another assertion that Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) are a common cause of morbidity and mortality for elderly patients, but French researchers have taken up the challenge of addressing an action step to ameliorate this problem. The research assessed the impact of multidisciplinary medication review (MMR) for people living in nursing homes, assessing outcomes both in terms of patient safety and costs. The intervention involved a traditional approach whereby a pharmacist reviewed prescriptions and suggested modifications to the patient’s medical team, and follow-up was undertaken six months later. An ADE geriatric risk score was calculated before and after he MMR, and the number of potentially inappropriate medications and economic impact from the perspective of the health care system were also assessed. Although only 49 patients were recruited, the ADE score dropped significantly (median score of 4 before versus 1 after, p < 0.0001). The number of patients taking at least one potentially inappropriate medication decreased from 30.6% before to 6.1% after MMR (p = 0.005). A mean saving of €232 per patient was also acheived (p = 0.008). Another piece of evidence to back up what really should be absolutely routine practice by now. Read the details of the study here.