Abstract
Taiwan is expected to become a superaged society by 2026. Community pharmacies have recently joined Taiwan’s primary care system; they have great potential to provide professional healthcare services. This study examined whether the services provided by community pharmacists enhance medication adherence, enable the identification and solution of drug therapy problems, and are accepted by community residents. The Department of Public Health, Taoyuan City, collaborated with the Taoyuan Pharmacist Association over 11 months in 2018 in enabling pharmacists to dispense prescriptions and provide medication adherence consultations, cognitive services, and home and institutional medical care services. This study designed four satisfaction questionnaires to assess the feasibility and performance of these services. Regarding the services related to medication knowledge and adherence, 92.10% of the patients reported overall satisfaction, and all understanding and ability scores were improved in more than 95% of patients. The number of patients highly cooperative regarding their medication had risen from 14 to 234 after the intervention, and the number with low medication adherence had dropped from 533 to 33. More than 90% of respondents indicated that the institutional medical care services had significantly improved their medication knowledge and behaviors. The feasibility of the incorporation of integrated the public health services model into age-friendly pharmacies was confirmed by this study.
Highlights
The 2007 Global Age-Friendly City Index compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that the world’s population is aging
A total of 295 copies of the questionnaire for pharmaceutical services satisfaction were returned, and the findings revealed that the home medical care services benefitted the patients substantially and enhanced their drugsafety-related awareness and behaviors
The questionnaire is divided into five categories according to the current Taiwan pharmaceutical service model
Summary
The 2007 Global Age-Friendly City Index compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that the world’s population is aging. The percentage of people aged years or older is expected to increase from 11% in 2006 to 22% in 2025. Health Insurance (NHI) Administration in 2011, because the medical expense associated with each older adult is two to four times the national average medical expense, the financial burden of the NHI is expected to rise sharply. The increase in medical resource usage by people aged 65–79 years was found to be insubstantial. The changes in the patterns of healthcare due to population aging are the primary cause of changes in medical resource consumption [2]. Studies conducted worldwide have revealed that such changes will significantly increase the demand for healthcare and medical costs because medical care and usage costs for older adults are disproportionally high [3]
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