Рarticipation of pharmacists in managing the use of herbal medicines by the elderly

Abstract

Recent data indicate that the pharmaceutical market for herbal medicines continues to grow steadily, and this enables pharmacists to improve their professional skills in managing the treatment of the elderly with herbal medicines and identify potential problems associated with their use. 
 Aim. To study the practice of using herbal medicines among elderly patients from the pharmacist’s point of view and identify specific recommendations of pharmacists in managing the use of herbal medicines. 
 Materials and methods. A descriptive design study was conducted; the main research tool was a questionnaire for pharmacists. 
 Results. Pharmacists’ responses indicate that the use of herbal medicines in the elderly is common, herbal preparations are used mainly for treating chronic diseases, and in most cases elderly patients associate the quality of treatment with the co-use of traditional medicines with herbal ones; often older patients also have false information about the requested herbal medicines. This means the need for pharmacists to monitor and supervise the use of herbal medicines by the elderly, special attention should be paid to the results of drug-herbal interactions and to regular updating of knowledge in the field of geriatric pharmaceutical care oriented to herbal therapy.
 Conclusions. Based on the results of the study, the problems associated with the use of herbal medicines in the elderly have been described, and some specific recommendations for pharmacists related to the treatment with herbal medicines in the elderly have been proposed.