The Importance of a Consultant Pharmacist
A team of geriatricians concluded "Any symptom in an elderly
patient should be considered a drug
side effect until proved otherwise." Medications
often cause or contribute to many
geriatric syndromes such as falls, urinary incontinence, delirium
and mental status changes. When
a consultant pharmacist is available
to assist an assisted living facility, policies and procedures
may be established for routine monitoring of commonly used medications. The
consultant pharmacist can also assist in recommending monitoring
parameters for specific residents or medications, and can help
review results of tests or other monitoring procedures. Source:
ASCP
Issue Paper re Prescribing and Monitoring (2003).
The inability of an older adult to independently manage the medication
regimen is a frequent reason or contributor
to their decision to move into the
assisted living environment. Assisted
living facilities often do not have nurses on staff to take full
responsibility for administration of medications to the residents.
Consultant pharmacists should be used in assisted living facilities
in a manner similar to nursing homes to: 1) Assist facilities with
development and implementation of policies and procedures related
to medication use; 2) Provide in service training to new and existing
staff members on medication-related issues; 3) Observe medication
administration by facility staff and provide feedback to the administration
and to the staff who administer medications; and 4) Establish procedures
to assure security of controlled substances and conduct periodic
audits to identify system weaknesses or evidence of diversion or
theft. Source: ASCP
Issue Paper regarding Assuring Accuracy
of Medication Admin (2003).