6 tips for achieving good quality in the elderly's drug use
We asked Johan Fastbom, Professor of Geriatric Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet and one of Sweden's leading experts in "Elderly and medicines", for some straightforward advice on what is needed to reduce the side effects and incorrect medications in the elderly to achieve good quality in drug use.
Here is Johan Fastbom's list:
Ensure:
- The older person receives the medication they need, but no more - it is just as essential to avoid undertreatment as overtreatment.
- Every medicine you prescribe has a correct and current indication.
- The prescribed drugs give benefits that are reasonably proportional to the risks (especially side effects and interactions with the drugs the patient already has).
- Pay attention to and take a stand on the use of drugs that may be inappropriate or risky, generally in the elderly and in the diseases the person has.
- Individually adjust the dose of the drugs based on kidney function, among other things.
- Note possible side effects and other drug problems, and remedy them.
