Research Theme
Optimizing Medications for Seniors
Program Coordinator: Dr. Carlos Rojas-Fernandez
Current Optimizing Medications for Seniors projects
Complete Optimizing Medications for Seniors projects
The goal of this collaborative initiative is to improve care and overall quality of life for older adults. In keeping with this commitment, the School of Pharmacy was charged with the responsibility of hiring a geriatric pharmacotherapy specialist who would focus on optimizing medication effectiveness and patient safety.
Included in the mandate is the need to:
- Identify and evaluate patient, clinician, and system factors that contribute to the safe and effective use of medications among older adults.
- Evaluate the effects of medications on patient clinical, psycho-social, and economic outcomes in the geriatric setting.
- Develop and use data repositories and novel population-based methods to optimize the uses of medications and to identify or confirm adverse events.
- Characterize general patterns of medication use to determine their effect on clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes.
In an eye-catching publication from the U.S. Institute of Medicine ('To Err is Human'), the authors (Linda T. Kohn, Janet M. Corrigan, and Molla S. Donaldson, Editors) indicate that:
Seniors are particularly at risk for medication-related problems. While medications are probably the single most important factor in improving the quality of life for older Americans, the nation's seniors remain especially susceptible to medication-related problems due to physiological changes, higher incidences of multiple chronic diseases and conditions, and greater consumption of prescription and over-the-counter medications. It's estimated that medication-related problems are among the top five greatest health threats for older [adults]. For example, 28% of all hospitalizations among seniors are due to adverse drug reactions, and 32,000 seniors suffer hip fractures each year due to falls caused by medication-related problems. In addition to medication errors, other types of medication-related problems include:
- Underuse of medications
- Overuse of medications
- Use of inappropriate medications
- Adverse drug reactions, including drug interactions
- Lack of adherence to drug therapy (patient noncompliance)
And as with medical errors, the authors conclude that half of medication-related problems are preventable.
Dr. Rojas-Fernandez, an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy, will be addressing three of the issues listed above, including: (1) overuse, (2) underuse, and (3) misuse of medication. Opportunities for optimizing medications in older adults are now being identified, prioritized and developed into appropriate clinical research projects.
Current Research Projects
| Project Name | Principal Investigator |
| Investigating potential medication-related contributors to falls among older residents with a recent fall: A study of older adults living in congregate care settings | Dr. Carlos Rojas-Fernandez School of Pharmacy University of Waterloo |
| Assessment of current patterns in psychotropic drug use for the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) | Dr. Carlos Rojas-Fernandez School of Pharmacy University of Waterloo |
Completed Research Projects
| Project Name | Principal Investigator | Completion Date |