The Problem of Increased Morbidity From Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults

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In my project, I plan to address the problem of increased morbidity from adverse drug events in older adults. Currently, adverse drug events are a considerable bother of US healthcare, as it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, longer hospital stays, and higher costs for both patients and care providers (Earl et al., 2020). Adverse drug events (ADEs) are especially frequent among older adults. Drug-to-drug interactions (DDIs) and ADEs are usually the results of polypharmacy, which is prevalent among older adults (Rodrigues & Oliveira, 2016). Thus, interventions for older adults need to be developed to reduce the occurrence of ADEs and DDIs using cost-efficient methods.

I intend to utilize patient education to help to minimize the chance of adverse drug events among older adults. The primary problem with such an intervention is the possibility of cognitive impairment among older adults. According to Rodrigues and Oliveira (2016), older adults often have several chronic conditions, which often result in polypharmacy. Additionally, older adults often have cognition problems, such as dementia and memory issues (Rodrigues & Oliveira, 2016). Thus, patient education may be inefficient for them. The problem can be addressed by selecting patients with no cognitive problems. Additionally, it would be beneficial for them to make small reminders about the essence of education about ADEs. Moreover, patient education should be provided by specialists that work with geriatric patients to ensure that the patients needs are met. These considerations should improve the effectiveness of the proposed initiative.

Reference

Earl, T. R., Katapodis, N. D., & Schneiderman, S. R. (2020). Reducing adverse drug events in older adults. In Making healthcare safer III: A critical analysis of existing and emerging patient safety practices [Internet]. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US).

Rodrigues, M. C. S., & Oliveira, C. D. (2016). Drug-drug interactions and adverse drug reactions in polypharmacy among older adults: an integrative review. Revista latino-americana de enfermagem, 24.

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