ADVERSE DRUG
EVENTS IN SENIORS:
A HARD PILL TO SWALLOW
By Rachel Stewart
THE SENIOR ADULT
POPULATION IS CONTINUALLY
AT HIGH RISK OF ADVERSE
DRUG EVENTS, DUE TO MORE
COMMONLY TAKING MULTIPLE
MEDICATIONS ON A DAILY
BASIS. FOR PRIMARY CARE
PHYSICIANS, THE SHORT
WINDOW OF TIME SPENT
DISCUSSING MEDICATIONS
DURING AN EXAM COULD
MEAN THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN GOOD HEALTH
AND RETURN OFFICE
VISITS OR A TRIP TO THE
EMERGENCY ROOM.
M
a
variety of chronic health conditions, from cardiovascular
disease to diabetes. However, the
wrong mix of medications or improperly
taking medications could increase risk
of adverse effects — especially for senior
patients. Taking extra time to check in with
patients — even if they've been taking a
medication for an extended period of time —
could open up an important dialogue.
"Physicians often have good approaches
for deciding which drug to prescribe, but
our systems for following up on how these
drugs are actually working are less robust,"
says Michael Steinman, MD, Associate
Professor at University of California,
San Francisco and the San Francisco VA
Medical Center. "In my own practice, I have
tried to put an extra focus on systematically checking in with my patients about
the effectiveness and potential harms of
medications they are already taking. This
is particularly important after a drug is
started, but is important over the long
term as well."
E DIC ATIO N S H E LP MANAG E
Making the Most of Office Visits
For routine appointments, a ny
allergies and previous drug reactions should be highlighted in
patient records, whether it's a
paper printout or an electronic
health record (EHR). When
making notes:
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