Improving medication assessment for senior citizens

Prof. K. Taxis has recently been awarded a € 95,000 grant by the Royal Dutch Society for the Advancement of Pharmacy (KNMP; Koninklijke Nederlandse Maatschappij ter bevordering der Pharmacie) for research into how medication assessment for senior citizens can be improved.

Older people often use medicines that may increase their risk of falling, of bone fractures caused by falling, and of decreased cognitive function, leading to impaired self-reliance. Although the current medication assessments, conducted by pharmacists in collaboration with GPs, may reduce side effects, it is unclear which patients should be prioritized when it comes to medication assessments.

The study funded by KNMP aims to improve the assessment of medication by including the Drug Burden Index (DBI) as a screener for patients at risk and by making the clinical interpretation of the DBI transparent. The data-gathering component of the study will be conducted in close collaboration with public pharmacies that work closely together with GPs and where medication assessments are regularly held. If proven successful, the DBI may be included in the pharmacy information system as an easy-to-establish screening factor to select patients who qualify for medication assessment.