Nurse-led interventions to minimise adverse drug reactions for older adults in care homes

A Wales-led study investigating the use of multiple medications in care homes could reduce hospital admissions in Wales.

Adverse drug reactions are responsible for 5 -8% unplanned hospital admissions in the UK, costing the NHS £1.5 -2.5 billion per annum. Most are due to poor monitoring, not poor prescribing and are preventable.

Polypharmacy, the use of multiple or inappropriate medications, has the potential to harm older adults by causing falls, cognitive impairment, incontinence, dry mouth, pain or nausea. This is a particular issue in care homes where up to 50% of people are overprescribed medicines.

The PADRe study will analyse polypharmacy-related incidents involving older people reported to the National Reporting and Learning System. A pharmacist, a doctor and nurse will be trained to analyse safety reports to develop a model that will form the basis of a new nurse-led intervention to monitor and manage medicines management to identify adverse drug reactions.

The study is a collaboration between Andrew Carson-Stevens, Patient Safety Research Lead, PRIME Centre Wales, Professor Sue Jordan, Swansea University and colleagues in the Welsh Medicines Resource Centre, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, University of Bristol and Cardiff University.

Professor Jordan said: “This is a great opportunity to work with colleagues to develop a way to prevent problems arising from prescribed medicines and eventually reduce hospital admissions due to adverse reactions to medicines.”

First published: @ResearchWales Issue 4, June 2018