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Jallow F, Stehling E, Sajwani-Merchant Z, Daniel KM, Fulda KG, Gurses AP, Arbaje AI, Xiao Y. Medication Management Strategies by Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Multisite Qualitative Analysis. J Patient Saf 2024; 20:192-197. [PMID: 38372504 PMCID: PMC10963160 DOI: 10.1097/pts.0000000000001200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Community-dwelling older adults taking 5 or more medications are at risk for medication-related harm. Managing multiple medications is a challenging task for patients and caregivers. Community-dwelling older adults self-manage their medications with minimal healthcare professional supervision. Although organizations, such as the Food and Drug Administration, often issue guidelines to ensure medication safety, how older adults understand and mitigate the risk of harm from medication use in the home environment is poorly understood. METHODS We conducted semistructured interviews with community-dwelling older adults 65 years and older who took 5 or more prescription medications to explore medication safety strategies they use. We also compared 2 organizations' medication safety guidelines for areas of concordance and discordance. RESULTS A total of 28 older adults were interviewed. Four overarching themes of medication management strategies emerged: collaborating with prescribers, collaborating with pharmacists, learning about medications, and safe practices at home. Study findings revealed that older adults followed some of the published guidelines by the 2 government organizations, although there were some areas of discord. Some of the strategies used were unintentionally against the recommended guidelines. For example, older adults tried weaning themselves off their medications without notifying their providers. CONCLUSIONS Older adults and their caregivers in our study used strategies different from those recommended by government organizations in managing medications to enhance drug safety. Patient-provider collaboration and positive patient outcomes can be improved by understanding and respecting strategies older adults use at home. Future studies must effectively incorporate older adults' perspectives when developing medication safety guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatoumata Jallow
- University of Texas at Arlington, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arlington, Texas
| | - Elisa Stehling
- University of Texas at Arlington, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arlington, Texas
| | - Zara Sajwani-Merchant
- University of Texas at Arlington, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arlington, Texas
| | - Kathryn M. Daniel
- University of Texas at Arlington, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arlington, Texas
| | - Kimberly G. Fulda
- The University of North Texas Health Science Center, Department of Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. Fort Worth, TX; North Texas Primary Care Practice-Based Research Network (NorTex), Fort Worth, TX
| | - Ayse P Gurses
- Armstrong Institute Center for Health Care Human Factors, Johns Hopkins Medicine. Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alicia I. Arbaje
- Armstrong Institute Center for Health Care Human Factors, Johns Hopkins Medicine. Baltimore, Maryland
- Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Center for Transformative Geriatric Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Yan Xiao
- University of Texas at Arlington, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arlington, Texas
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Hummler H, Sarwinska D, Weitschies W, Gollasch M, Page S. Parameters to Consider for Successful Medication Use in Older Adults - an AGePOP Review. Eur J Pharm Sci 2023:106453. [PMID: 37149104 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2023.106453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Older adults are the main users of medicine and due to their multimorbidity are often faced/confronted with a complex medication management. This review article provides a brief overview on aspects of medication management such as maintaining a stock of the required medicine, understanding and following the instructions for use, coping with the primary and secondary packaging as well as preparation prior to use. The main focus however is on the drug intake itself and provides an overview about the current understanding of real life dosing conditions of older adults and geriatric patients. Furthermore, it elaborates the acceptability of dosage forms, in particular solid oral dosage forms as they represent the majority of dosage forms taken by these patient populations. An improved understanding of the needs of older adults and geriatric patients, their acceptability of various dosage forms and the circumstances under which they manage their medications, will make the design of more patient-centric drug products possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henriette Hummler
- Pharma Technical Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacher Str. 124, CH-4070, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dorota Sarwinska
- Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 3, 17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Werner Weitschies
- Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 3, 17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Maik Gollasch
- Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University Medicine Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17475, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Susanne Page
- Pharma Technical Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacher Str. 124, CH-4070, Basel, Switzerland.
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Hummler H, Page S, Stillhart C, Meilicke L, Grimm M, Mannaa M, Gollasch M, Weitschies W. Influence of Solid Oral Dosage Form Characteristics on Swallowability, Visual Perception, and Handling in Older Adults. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15041315. [PMID: 37111799 PMCID: PMC10142368 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15041315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Swallowability, visual perception, and any handling to be conducted prior to use are all influence factors on the acceptability of an oral dosage form by the patient. Knowing the dosage form preferences of older adults, as the major group of medication end users, is needed for patient-centric drug development. This study aimed at evaluating the ability of older adults to handle tablets as well as to assess the anticipated swallowability of tablets, capsules, and mini tablets based on visual perception. The randomized intervention study included 52 older adults (65 to 94 years) and 52 younger adults (19 to 36 years). Within the tested tablets, ranging from 125 mg up to 1000 mg in weight and being of different shapes, handling was not seen as the limiting factor for the decision on appropriate tablet size. However, the smallest sized tablets were rated worst. According to visual perception, the limit of acceptable tablet size was reached at around 250 mg for older adults. For younger adults, this limit was shifted to higher weights and was dependent on the tablet shape. Differences in anticipated swallowability with respect to tablet shapes were most pronounced for tablets of 500 mg and 750 mg in weight, independent of the age category. Capsules performed worse compared to tablets, while mini tablets appeared as a possible alternative dosage form to tablets of higher weight. Within the deglutition part of this study, swallowability capabilities of the same populations were assessed and have been reported previously. Comparing the present results with the swallowing capabilities of the same populations with respect to tablets, it shows adults' clear self-underestimation of their ability to swallow tablets independent of their age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henriette Hummler
- Pharma Technical Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacher Str. 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
- Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 3, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Susanne Page
- Pharma Technical Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacher Str. 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cordula Stillhart
- Pharma Technical Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacher Str. 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Meilicke
- Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 3, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Michael Grimm
- Center of Drug Absorption and Transport, Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 3, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Marwan Mannaa
- Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University Medicine Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Maik Gollasch
- Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University Medicine Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Werner Weitschies
- Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University Medicine Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
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