Prevalence of medication-related problems in complex chronic patients and opportunities for improvement

Abstract

ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of medication-related problems in patients treated in continuous care units and to identify the therapeutic areas in which these problems were more concentrated. MethodObservational descriptive prospective study. Review of clinical histories and outpatient treatment by a hospital pharmacist. Communicating medication-related problems detected to the responsible doctor. Analysis of the therapeutic areas in which the problems were most concentrated. Results85 patients were reviewed, and 368 potential medication-related problems were identified. The areas with the most prevalent medication-related problems were the long-term use of hypnotics, sub-optimal analgesia, optimizable antidepressant treatment, statins in patients older than 75 years in primary prevention and in those with high-intensity doses in secondary prevention, patients with heart failure without angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and proton-pump inhibitors without indication. ConclusionsTraining interventions should be implemented and computer assistance should be developed to help avoid the most prevalent medication-related problems.