Looking for the “Little Things”: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Medicines Monitoring for Older People Using the ADRe Resource
Advances in medicines have increased the effectiveness of treatments and the social and cultural authority of doctors. However, as prescribing has become the dominant modality of treatment, the “pharmaceuticalization” of medical practice has often resulted in treatment “at a distance”, with doctors...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Geriatrics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/5/4/79 |
| _version_ | 1797550613047803904 |
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| author | David Hughes Meirion Jordan Patricia A. Logan Alan Willson Sherrill Snelgrove Melanie Storey Mojtaba Vaismoradi Sue Jordan |
| author_facet | David Hughes Meirion Jordan Patricia A. Logan Alan Willson Sherrill Snelgrove Melanie Storey Mojtaba Vaismoradi Sue Jordan |
| author_sort | David Hughes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Advances in medicines have increased the effectiveness of treatments and the social and cultural authority of doctors. However, as prescribing has become the dominant modality of treatment, the “pharmaceuticalization” of medical practice has often resulted in treatment “at a distance”, with doctors having limited contact with patients. Older and poorer people, who are socially distanced from medical prescribers, suffer more adverse drug reactions (ADRs) than the general population. A team approach to checking patients systematically for ADRs, as detailed in manufacturers’ literature, can minimise medication errors, but regular review is rare. This paper explains the benefits of medicines monitoring to protect older patients from iatrogenic harm, such as over-sedation, falls, or drug-induced Parkinsonism. We show how multidisciplinary initiatives to optimise prescribing can be supported by using a recognised resource—the adverse drug reaction profile (ADRe). The profile identifies and documents patients’ signs and symptoms of putative ADRs. Better monitoring allows professionals to adjust prescribing and respond to identified problems with agility. Implementation of systematic monitoring will require changes to the regulatory regime and better inter-professional cooperation. Providing carers, nurses and pharmacists with a structured system to monitor patients would democratise relevant medical knowledge and help address ageism and the socio-economic health divide. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:31:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b346c3ecb4d7410094e4adfd0596ece3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2308-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:31:47Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geriatrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-b346c3ecb4d7410094e4adfd0596ece32023-11-20T17:36:36ZengMDPI AGGeriatrics2308-34172020-10-01547910.3390/geriatrics5040079Looking for the “Little Things”: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Medicines Monitoring for Older People Using the ADRe ResourceDavid Hughes0Meirion Jordan1Patricia A. Logan2Alan Willson3Sherrill Snelgrove4Melanie Storey5Mojtaba Vaismoradi6Sue Jordan7Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UKIndependent Researcher, Swansea SA9 2GA, UKFaculty of Science, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst 2795, AustraliaFaculty of Health and Life Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UKFaculty of Health and Life Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UKFaculty of Health and Life Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UKFaculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, 8049 Bodø, NorwayFaculty of Health and Life Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UKAdvances in medicines have increased the effectiveness of treatments and the social and cultural authority of doctors. However, as prescribing has become the dominant modality of treatment, the “pharmaceuticalization” of medical practice has often resulted in treatment “at a distance”, with doctors having limited contact with patients. Older and poorer people, who are socially distanced from medical prescribers, suffer more adverse drug reactions (ADRs) than the general population. A team approach to checking patients systematically for ADRs, as detailed in manufacturers’ literature, can minimise medication errors, but regular review is rare. This paper explains the benefits of medicines monitoring to protect older patients from iatrogenic harm, such as over-sedation, falls, or drug-induced Parkinsonism. We show how multidisciplinary initiatives to optimise prescribing can be supported by using a recognised resource—the adverse drug reaction profile (ADRe). The profile identifies and documents patients’ signs and symptoms of putative ADRs. Better monitoring allows professionals to adjust prescribing and respond to identified problems with agility. Implementation of systematic monitoring will require changes to the regulatory regime and better inter-professional cooperation. Providing carers, nurses and pharmacists with a structured system to monitor patients would democratise relevant medical knowledge and help address ageism and the socio-economic health divide.https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/5/4/79adverse drug reactionspatient safetynursingmedicine managementlong-term carecommunity care |
| spellingShingle | David Hughes Meirion Jordan Patricia A. Logan Alan Willson Sherrill Snelgrove Melanie Storey Mojtaba Vaismoradi Sue Jordan Looking for the “Little Things”: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Medicines Monitoring for Older People Using the ADRe Resource Geriatrics adverse drug reactions patient safety nursing medicine management long-term care community care |
| title | Looking for the “Little Things”: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Medicines Monitoring for Older People Using the ADRe Resource |
| title_full | Looking for the “Little Things”: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Medicines Monitoring for Older People Using the ADRe Resource |
| title_fullStr | Looking for the “Little Things”: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Medicines Monitoring for Older People Using the ADRe Resource |
| title_full_unstemmed | Looking for the “Little Things”: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Medicines Monitoring for Older People Using the ADRe Resource |
| title_short | Looking for the “Little Things”: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Medicines Monitoring for Older People Using the ADRe Resource |
| title_sort | looking for the little things a multi disciplinary approach to medicines monitoring for older people using the adre resource |
| topic | adverse drug reactions patient safety nursing medicine management long-term care community care |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/5/4/79 |
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