Five deprescribing strategies for reducing the risks of polypharmacy
By
Monica Ott
Nov 07, 2023
Medication management in nursing homes is complicated and time consuming. It can also be fraught with risks. Most nursing home residents take more than five medications daily, which makes them particularly...
Drug reduction may be all the rage, but it shouldn’t be outrageous
By
Steven Levenson
Jul 10, 2023
In recent years, there has been much talk about drug reduction in nursing homes. We hear about “GDR meetings” and even a new verb, as in “We are ‘GDRing’ our residents’ medications.” ...
Tapping genetic information to support medication management and resident health
By
Houda Hachad
Oct 27, 2022
Medication management has long been a top focus for long-term care organizations, given the challenges related to comorbidities and polypharmacy that residents often face. Studies show that the overwhelming...
Polypharmacy stands at the core of customized care
By
Tom Katofiasc
Oct 13, 2022
With an aging population comes the unfortunate increase in hospital visits, often resulting in an increase in medication needs. When long-term care residents return to their facilities after a hospital...
How pharmacy providers can impact patient care
By
Lindsay Dymowski
Aug 22, 2022
When a person seeks medical care, a team impacts that care. Primary care teams, home care groups, and even medical transportation companies play a role in patients’ health outcomes. One of the...
Drug diversion, a series: How to deal with it
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
John Myers
Aug 23, 2021
In the first part of this series, we discussed drug diversion: what it is, how to prevent it and how to spot it. This column will focus on how to conduct drug diversion investigations. When drug...
When less is more: The role of deprescribing and art of medication management
By
Kurt Merkelz, M.D.
Jul 28, 2021
More prescriptions do not necessarily mean better health outcomes. Deprescribing, which is the planned and supervised process of intentionally stopping a medication or reducing its dose, is a critically...
Drug diversion, a series: How to prevent and spot it
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Jul 19, 2021
Drug diversion occurs when prescription medicines are obtained or used illegally. While diversion has always been a concern, without question, COVID-19 certainly increased personal stress and pressure...
Psychotropics filled at same rate for community dwellers and LTC residents with dementia
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 19, 2020
Nearly three-quarters of community-dwelling older adults with dementia fill prescriptions for psychotropic drugs, similar to the prescription rate in eldercare facilities, a new study has found.
Potent painkiller prescription often arrives with transferred residents
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2020
A high-dose painkiller prescription often accompanies hospital patients upon discharge to a skilled nursing facility. The result is a complex medication management challenge for care providers, investigators...