Effect of Pharmacist Intervention on Emergency Department Geriatric Patients with Polypharmacy

Abstract

Background: Polypharmacy is common within the geriatric population due to the commonality of multiple comorbidities and use of multiple providers. The emergency department (ED) is a prime location to capture these patients, especially when they present with chief complaints which may be medication related. Much of this population is prescribed potentially inappropriate medications which increases their risk for adverse drug reactions. Pharmacist review of patient home medication lists has been shown to decrease the number of potentially inappropriate medications, as well as medication-related problems, such as therapeutic duplications and drug interactions. These reductions can increase patient safety.