C oncerns in Medication S afety in Regards to the Older Adult Population

1. Concerns in Medication Safety in Regards to the Older Adult Population Stephanie A. Ball, Taylor W. Brickley, Macey F. Davenport, Kelly L. Erexson, Emily K. Falcon, Cierra N. Witten

2. Introduction • Medication safety is becoming an increasing problem with the growth of the geriatric population. • Medication errors may occur at a greater rate in this population. • The changes in older adulthood, the collaborative healthcare team, the use of informatics, and the personal knowledge of the healthcare providers play an important role. • Medication Safety can be maintained through the nurse’s role, education, maintaining legal and ethical guidelines, as well as using evidence based practice.

3. Key Ideas

4. Collaborative Care

6. Knowledge of the Aging Process

7. Informatics

9. Pharmacology Knowledge

10. Nurses’ Role

11. Education

12. Legal & Ethical Issues

13. Legal & Ethical Issues

14. Evidence Based Practice

15. Evidence Based Practice

16. Conclusion • The knowledge of the collaborative healthcare team, informatics, and the older adult themselves all function together to help avoid medication errors and promote medication safety. • There is not a single method that has been proven to work for this population. • Research did provide varied ways to help prevent medication errors in the geriatric population, and some key identifiers for those older adults who may need some assistance with their medications.

17. References • Association of periOpritive Registered Nurses. (2014). Medication Safety [Webinar].  In Periop 101 Individual Modules. Retrieved from http://www.aorn.org/Secondary.aspx?id=26250&terms=medication%20safety • Choo J., Hutchinson A. & Bucknall T (2010). Nurses’ role in medication safety. Journal of Nursing Management 18, 853-861. doi:10.111/j.1365-2834.2010.01164.x • Fialová, D. & Onder, G. (2009). Medication errors in elderly people: contributing factors and future perspectives. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 67(6), 641–645. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2125.2009.03419.x • Finkelman, A. & Kenner, C. (2013). Professional Nursing Cncepts: Competenies for Quality Leadership. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. • Hall, C. (2002). ). Special Considerations for Geriatric Population. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America14, 427-434. • Tweddle, F. (2009). Covert medication on older adults who lack decision-making capacity. British Journal of Nursing 18(15), 936-939. • Wang C., Fetzer S., Yang Y., Wang J. (2013). The Impacts of using community health volunteers to coach medication safety behaviors among rural elders with chronic illnesses. Geriatric Nursing 34,138-145. doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2012.12.013

18. Image references • [Untitled photograph of healthcare team]. Retrieved April 23, 2014 from: http://www.hahnemannhospital.com/en-us/education/pages/default.aspx • pharmMedSelect-Automated-Dispensing-Machine. Retrieved April 25, 2014 from: http://adaircountyhealthsystems.org/pharmacy.html • [Untitled photograph of nurse with automated system]. Retrieved April 25, 2014 from: http://www.qatarisbooming.com/article/heart-hospital-pharmacy-implements-automated-prescription-system • Interprofessional-collaborative-team. Retrieved April 25, 2014 from: http://ipep.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/styles/blog_post/public/field/image/interprofessional-collaborative-team.jpg?itok=a1mV7VUW