Care of older people

How COVID-19 increased antipsychotic prescribing in care homes

As the care home sector struggled to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shift to using more antipsychotic drugs. While concerning, this has since provided the push needed to consider new solutions to reduce prescribing of these potentially harmful drugs.…

‘Worrying’ rise in number of patients with a high anticholinergic burden

Exclusive: Experts say the rise could be owing to the lack of contact between prescribers and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.…

Dementia diagnosis more likely in patients taking multiple medicines, study results suggest

Researchers found that as a patient came closer to a dementia diagnosis, patterns of polypharmacy were linked with particular medical conditions.…

Anticholinergic drugs and dementia: a causal link?

The implications of changes to the regulation of oxybutynin in the UK and the case for deprescribing anticholinergics, such as this, to prevent cognitive adverse effects.…

Treatment and management of gout: the role of pharmacy

Gout is a common form of arthritis but despite being easily treatable, often goes undiagnosed or undertreated. This article explains the causes and symptoms of gout and the treatment strategy required to therapeutically ‘cure’ gout through lifelong medication.…

We must start using pharmacogenomic information to optimise medicines for older people

Training in pharmacogenomic testing needs to be prioritised so that the NHS can benefit from the many advantages it has to offer, especially for older people at higher risk from adverse drug reactions.…

Renal cancer: management

An overview of the most common forms of renal cancer, treatment options and the role of pharmacists in its management.…

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Pharmacist found five drug-related problems per older patient receiving intermediate care, study reveals

The pharmacist in the study identified 494 “clinically relevant” drug-related problems in 91 patients receiving intermediate care.…

Pharmacist interventions can improve medication safety for older care home residents, study finds

A pioneering study has synthesised evidence of the effectiveness of pharmacist-led interventions to reduce adverse drug events in older people living in care homes.…

Inhaled corticosteroid added to COVID-19 PRINCIPLE trial

Budesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid, is the latest drug to be investigated as a treatment for COVID-19 patients who are not in hospital.…