TY - JOUR
T1 - Geriatric drug therapy
T2 - neglecting the inevitable majority
AU - Stegemann, Sven
AU - Ecker, Felix
AU - Maio, Mario
AU - Kraahs, Peter
AU - Wohlfart, Rainer
AU - Breitkreutz, Joerg
AU - Zimmer, Andreas
AU - Bar-Shalom, Daniel
AU - Hettrich, Patrick
AU - Broegmann, Bianca
PY - 2010/10
Y1 - 2010/10
N2 - Demographic evolution will considerably increase the number of people aged 65 years and beyond in the coming decades. The elderly not only represent the most heterogeneous population, but also are a major user group for prescribed medicines, a predominance that will continue to further increase. Medicines and medication management are much more complex and challenging in the elderly and can only be addressed through a multidisciplinary approach.There is strong evidence that the elderly are able to properly manage their medication; however, their medications require different features than the standard medications used by adults. The elderly are exposed to several chronic disease conditions and their treatments, as well as experience age-related changes and limitations that need to be reflected in their medication management strategies.Geriatric drug therapy remains a multidisciplinary task. The health care industry, physicians, pharmacists, nurses and care givers provide and guide the patient's therapy according to individual needs, while the health care system and regulatory authorities build the necessary framework of support and resources.Any realistic and significant enhancement to the elderly patients' medicines and medication management needs to be addressed by all disciplines and stakeholders involved since the absence of any of the stakeholders in the overall process negatively impacts the achievable enhancement in geriatric drug therapy.
AB - Demographic evolution will considerably increase the number of people aged 65 years and beyond in the coming decades. The elderly not only represent the most heterogeneous population, but also are a major user group for prescribed medicines, a predominance that will continue to further increase. Medicines and medication management are much more complex and challenging in the elderly and can only be addressed through a multidisciplinary approach.There is strong evidence that the elderly are able to properly manage their medication; however, their medications require different features than the standard medications used by adults. The elderly are exposed to several chronic disease conditions and their treatments, as well as experience age-related changes and limitations that need to be reflected in their medication management strategies.Geriatric drug therapy remains a multidisciplinary task. The health care industry, physicians, pharmacists, nurses and care givers provide and guide the patient's therapy according to individual needs, while the health care system and regulatory authorities build the necessary framework of support and resources.Any realistic and significant enhancement to the elderly patients' medicines and medication management needs to be addressed by all disciplines and stakeholders involved since the absence of any of the stakeholders in the overall process negatively impacts the achievable enhancement in geriatric drug therapy.
KW - Former Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
U2 - 10.1016/j.arr.2010.04.005
DO - 10.1016/j.arr.2010.04.005
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1568-1637
VL - 9
SP - 384
EP - 398
JO - Ageing Research Reviews
JF - Ageing Research Reviews
IS - 4
ER -