Documentation of Functional Medication Management in Older Adults: A Retrospective Chart Review in Acute Care Hospitalization

Autor: Monika Bolina, Erin Heintz, C. Allyson Jones, Sheri L. Koshman, Cheryl A Sadowski
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Drugs-Real World Outcomes
ISSN: 2198-9788
2199-1154
Popis: Background Functional skills can affect the ability of older adults to appropriately manage their medication regimens. Research evaluating a patient’s functional ability or the assessment of medication management is limited. Objectives Our objective was to describe the documented components of functional medication management (FMM) in adults aged ≥65 years during an acute hospital stay. The secondary objective was to describe the characteristics of the healthcare providers (HCP) who document FMM. Methods This study was a retrospective chart review of a sample of patients aged ≥65 years admitted to medical units in a tertiary hospital from January 2013 to October 2014. FMM was defined as the steps required to take medications—including ordering, picking up, organizing, preparing, administering, and monitoring medications—and the functional abilities necessary to perform these tasks. Results The mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of patients was 78.9 (8.4) years; 72 (52 %) were female. Of the 190 charts screened, 140 were eligible for inclusion. The mean (SD) number of documented scheduled oral medications was eight (3.1) per patient, and 108 (77.1 %) charts contained documented FMM-related information. Commonly documented FMM components included whether the patient could administer medications independently (73 [52 %]) or schedule medication (46 [33 %]). These activities were most frequently documented by physicians (124 [39 %]) and occupational therapists (108 [34 %]). Conclusion FMM assessments for older adult inpatients with multiple comorbidities and complex medication regimens were not documented comprehensively or frequently. Given the complexity of medication regimens and the functional skills required to manage medications at home, failing to document these assessments when evaluating patients in hospital reflects a lost opportunity. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40801-016-0092-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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