To keep you better informed about the biggest trends and developments affecting medication management, medication adherence, and pharmacy services, here are 10 of the most significant news reports published in June 2021. Highlights include an examination of polypharmacy and deprescribing trends, the role of pharmacists in supporting home health, smart packaging, and text messaging.
1. Looking to Tackle Prescription Overload
The New York Times takes a look at polypharmacy trends and explores the increasing usage and benefits of deprescribing.
2. Time to Deprescribe? Some Reasons May Be Nonstarters for Patients
A new study indicates that the reasons given for deprescribing a medication can greatly influence a patient's willingness to embrace the change, with identifying a drug's potential side effects likely to be more persuasive than doubting a drug's functional benefits.
3. Maximize Your Employees' Contribution to Collaborate with Home Health Agencies
A Pharmacy Times column discusses the valuable role that community pharmacy teams can play in helping decrease home health agencies' hospitalizations via medication reconciliation services.
4. Association of Co-Pay Elimination With Medication Adherence and Total Cost
The results of a new study show that eliminating co-pays for drugs indicated to treat chronic illnesses was associated with increases in medication adherence and reductions in overall spending.
5. Adults With Cognitive Impairment Who Use Pain Medication Have Higher Falls Risk
New research from Texas A&M University shows that older adults with cognitive impairment are much more likely to fall compared with those without cognitive impairment, further highlighting the importance of medication reconciliation and patient safety-focused processes.
6. Gamechanger: Virtual Nursing Model Creating Positive Outcomes for MercyOne
HealthLeaders highlights the benefits of MercyOne Des Moines' virtual nursing program, which now includes involvement by pharmacy. Among them: improved medication reconciliation, reduced medication errors, and better patient education concerning new drugs.
7. Enhancing Medication Adherence With Smart Packaging
A Drug Topics Journal article explains how technology-driven medication packaging can help improve medication management and productivity.
8. Study: Stopping Statins in the Elderly May Be Risky
A new study indicates that deprescribing cholesterol-lowering statins for elderly people who are also receiving a variety of other drugs was linked to increased health risks.
9. Hypertension Management in Older Adults
Pharmacy Times examines the role that pharmacists play in assisting patients with hypertension, including performing ongoing medication management and supporting medication adherence.
10. Novel Text Messaging Program Boosts ADHD Treatment Adherence
New research suggests that using text messaging to remind those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to take their medications and warn them about the risks of medication nonadherence can significantly increase treatment adherence.
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