International journal of clinical pharmacy
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Observational Study
The utility of a medical admissions pharmacist in a hospital in Australia.
Background Medication-related hospital admissions in Australia have previously been estimated to account for approximately 3% of all hospital admissions, with hospital entry points being a point of vulnerability. The timely medication review and reconciliation by a pharmacist at the early stage of an admission for patients admitted to the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) would be beneficial. Setting The Emergency Department (ED) and AMU in a 300 bed tertiary teaching hospital, in South Australia. ⋯ Conclusion Implementation of an extended hours clinical pharmacy service in the form of a medical admissions pharmacist based in the ED significantly increased the number of complete medication histories and clinical reviews completed for patients being admitted to an AMU. These were also completed earlier in the patients' admission. There was also a small trend toward increasing the proportion of patients discharged by 11 am in the intervention group.
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Background Geriatric falls are leading causes of hospital trauma admissions and injury-related deaths. Medication use is a crucial element among extrinsic risk factors for falls. To reduce fall risk and the prevalence of adverse drug reactions, potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) lists are widely used. ⋯ Taking pantoprazole, vinpocetine or trimetazidine was a significant risk factor for falls. Conclusion Older age, polypharmacy and the independent use of pantoprazole, vinpocetine, and trimetazidine were found to be major risk factors for falls. Further real-life epidemiological studies are necessary to confirm the role of particular active agents, and to help professionals prescribe, evaluate and review geriatric medication use.