ADVERSE DRUG EVENTS
Of the nearly 2.2 million emergency department visits made in 2008 for adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals or other types of medications, older adults accounted for more than half (51.5 percent) of all visits involving adverse reactions. Among older adults, most of these visits (61.5 percent) were made by patients aged 65 or older. For this particular population the most commonly involved types of medications included central nervous system (CNS) drugs (e.g., pain relievers and drugs used to treat anxiety and insomnia), followed by blood modifiers, and cardiovascular system medications.
North Dakota Health Care Review, Inc. (NDHCRI) will support community-based teams to implement clinical pharmacy services. Clinical pharmacy services promotes the appropriate selection, utilization, and monitoring of medications to optimize individual therapeutic outcomes. These services are provided by a multidisciplinary health care team through individualized patient assessment and management. Clinical pharmacy services are best provided by a pharmacist or by another health care professional in collaboration with a pharmacist.
NDHCRI will assist teams to successfully participate in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative (PSPC) in order to experience breakthroughs in population health status and medication safety, community capacity to build population-focused integrated delivery systems, and to bend the cost curve through cost savings and cost-effective care.
NDHCRI will assist communities to form a patient-centered team of health care providers and partners with the goal of providing integrated patient care in a primary health care home. Team members should include but not be limited to the following:
- Clinical pharmacy representation
- Clinicians from the health care settings utilized by the patient population of focus
- Senior leadership
- Patient representation
For more information, please contact Beth VanDelinder, PharmD, Pharmaceutical Care Specialist, at NDHCRI.
Back to Healthcare Professionals
