Description of Pharmacist Recommendations in the Caring for Older Adults and Caregivers at Home (COACH) Program

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe recommendations made by geriatric clinical pharmacists within an innovative care model focusing on patients with dementia living at home. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Outpatients in a tertiary care Veterans Affairs health care system. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans who underwent a Caring for Older Adults and Caregivers at Home (COACH) Program assessment and had at least one medicationrelated recommendation made by a geriatric clinical pharmacist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary endpoint was the number and category of medication-related recommendations made by a geriatric clinical pharmacist at the initial COACH program assessment. Secondary endpoints were recommendation acceptance rates and change in potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) at six months. RESULTS: There were 104 patients included. The mean age was 81 years and the majority of patients were male and Caucasian. At baseline, patients were receiving a mean of 12 medications/person, and 59% of patients were receiving at least one PIM. There were 248 total medication recommendations made, with a mean of 2.4 recommendations/person (range 1-5). The three most common recommendation categories were to discontinue a drug, decrease the dose, and switch to a potentially safer alternative. Providers accepted 110 (44%) recommendations within six months. Patients were receiving a mean of one PIM/person at baseline, and no change was observed at six months.CONCLUSION: This study describes recommendations made through medication reviews by geriatric clinical pharmacists within an innovative care model for patients with dementia living at home. These data may provide information to other clinical pharmacists implementing consult services in similar settings.