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Aged care pilot aims to improve medicine safety
The study is assessing medication management and clinical work in care homes, an area recognised as a ‘source of preventable harm’.
Many aged care residents are exposed to at least one potentially inappropriate medicine, according to research.
A pilot scheme, supported by the RACGP, is working to improve medicine use among older patients.
The University of South Australia (UniSA) study will use the new PHARMA-Care National Quality Framework to assess medication management and clinical work provided by pharmacists for residents of aged care homes.
Designed to support safe and effective medicine use, it was developed after the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and is endorsed by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).
It was co-designed with 14 project partners including the RACGP, with support from the Medical Research Future Fund.
Dr Anthony Marinucci, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Aged Care, is one of the associate investigators for the project, which he said values collaboration and data-driven improvement.
‘This is a significant and timely initiative that brings together clinicians, pharmacists, and aged care providers to systematically address medication safety — an area long recognised as a source of preventable harm in aged care,’ he told newsGP.
‘We hope this pilot will lead to measurable reductions in inappropriate polypharmacy, medication-related hospitalisations, and adverse drug events, while improving monitoring, deprescribing, and communication between prescribers and facilities.
‘This project represents an important step towards embedding safer prescribing systems across aged care, with potential to inform national policy and strengthen integration between general practice and aged care providers.’
According to Dr Marinucci, outcomes from the work could help shape a sustainable national framework for medication safety in aged care.
Associate Professor Janet Sluggett, UniSA’s Chief Investigator, has similar hopes.
‘With society moving to models of care where older people choose to remain at home for longer, those entering residential aged care are increasingly frailer with complex medical histories and high care needs,’ she said.
‘Pharmacists are critical to ensuring medications are used safely and effectively among residents of aged care homes, but until now, there hasn’t been a structure for comprehensively evaluating quality use of medicines in this setting.
‘Our framework gives aged care homes and pharmacists structure and support to deliver high-quality, consistent care, under five key domains relating to medication management.
‘It helps on-site pharmacists measure impact, contributes to clinical governance, and promotes discussion with care teams, residents, and families to achieve person-centred care.
‘Importantly, it identifies enablers that facilitate the quality use of medicines and supports ongoing improvement, as well as highlighting aspects of medicines-related care that matter most to residents.’
A PSA study on medicine safety published in 2019 indicated that 98% of aged care home residents have at least one medication-related problem, and more than half ‘are exposed to at least one potentially inappropriate medicine’.
Earlier this year, the RACGP endorsed a new clinical guideline aiming to reduce the potential harms of polypharmacy in older people.
The resource, which was developed by researchers at the University of Western Australia, covers common medications on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme used by people aged 65 and over.
The pilot study is now calling for aged care and pharmacist participants to take part. More information is available on the UniSA’s website.
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