New study explores how care home residents can be involved in medication decisions
Many elderly residents in care homes receive a lot of medication. This increases the risk of complications due to side effects and drug interactions. Active involvement of the elderly can lead to more appropriate medication. A new study explores how the elderly can be involved more systematically.
Inappropriate medication is commonly seen in elderly people living in care homes. This may have serious consequences for the elderly in the form of reduced quality of life and unnecessary healthcare contacts due to side effects and drug interactions.
Active involvement of the residents can contribute to more appropriate medication. A new study explores how the elderly can be involved more systematically.
Together about medication
The project "Together about medication" focuses on how elderly care home residents and their relatives are best involved in dialogue about medication. The aim is to develop and test an intervention that may support a joint effort for person-centred medication in elderly care home residents.
The intervention was developed through co-creative and user-involving methods. Preliminary experience suggests that the developed intervention is feasible and can support a more systematic involvement of the elderly and their relatives in dialogue about medication.
Thee intervention was subsequently pilot-tested in selected care homes in Aarhus Municipality. The experiences from the pilot-test are expected to be published during the autumn of 2024.
The project is based at the Research Unit for General Practice in Aarhus and has been carried out in close collaboration with Aarhus Municipality and a number of other collaborative partners.
Read more in the paper "Person-centred medicine in the care home setting: development of a complex intervention".
Project group
- Kirsten Høj
- Line Due Christensen
- Flemming Bro
- Jette Kolding Kristensen
- Anne Estrup Olesen
- Hilary Louise Bekker
Collaborative partners
- Research Unit for General Practice, Aalborg
- Clinical Pharmacological Unit, Aalborg University Hospital
- Research Centre for Patient Involvement, Central Denmark Region
- Leeds Unit of Complex Intervention Development, University of Leeds
- Danish Society for Patient Safety
- Organisation of General Practitioners in Denmark (PLO-K, Aarhus)
Funding
- Velux Foundation
- General Practice Research Foundation of the Central Denmark Region
- Committee for Quality Improvement and Continuing Medical Education in general practice in the Central Denmark Region
- Thematic research funding under the Danish General Practice Fund