PHARMACOLOGY AND ELDERS

Pharmacology and Elders

Pharmacology and Elders

Case Scenario

This report deals with the case You are Mrs. Andrews's home health nurse. She is taking medications for emphysema, diabetes, and hypertension. She has 10 medications that she takes everyday. Mrs. Andrews is having financial difficulties, and is worried she might not be able to continue taking all of her medications as prescribed.

How can you help Mrs. Andrews prevent the unwanted effects of polypharmacy?

Most studies show that people over 65 take an average of 5 to 7 drugs, most unnecessary. The incidence of falls and other adverse effects increases significantly with more than 4 drugs, plus adherence treatment is inversely proportional to the number of them. Polypharmacy is defined as the use of 2 or more drugs for at least 240 days of the year, and more polypharmacy, more than 5 drugs, during the same period. No can speak of it not to mention the adverse drug reactions, which are related to the duration and site of hospitalization, number and severity of acute illness, history of alcohol and of course, polypharmacy, the latter being the main risk (increases chance of developing a drug reaction exponentially the number drug use). Unlike the old, not as an independent factor related to its presence. When two drugs are prescribed the potential so that this interaction is 6%, increases to 50% when given 5 and a 100% when 8 or more medications are given (Shepperd, 2004).

Identify strategies the nurse could establish to reduce potential drug interactions and adverse drug effects.

In the treatment of people receiving multiple medications, research should started from the first telephone contact. The clerk must note the person to visit the dentist will require medical history. From experience we know that there is little ability of patients to identify their medicines and this reason will be asked to carry with them an appointment with your medication bottles or make a Full list of drugs that include the name, the number of milligrams (when comes in various concentrations and dosing. Once you get a list of medications, assessment of its possible effects on dental treatment may be a slow.

One strategy is to investigate the area every more comprehensive "programs" drug by computer. In all cases you must know the patient's medical history and medications taken before writing a prescription. They are very important aspects when prescribing a medication pharmacokinetics in elderly the pharmacodynamic changes that occur at this age. The addition of drugs needed for dental methods, such as antibiotics or analgesics, a subject which itself receives several of them may increase so important to the overall risk of adverse reactions. However, many of them are avoidable in a survey that analyzed the prescriptions issued in a school dentistry warned that 72% of possible adverse drug reactions were avoidable by careful questioning and interpretation of personal history of the patient (Riedinger, 1998).

List a variety of strategies the nurse could use to assist her with the costs of the ...