Drug-related Problems in Elderly People with Chronic Diseases in Sinsamut Community, Pathumthani Province, Thailand

Abstract

Objective: To identify types of drug related problems (DRPs) and their causes in elderly people with non-communicable chronic disease (NCD) in Sinsamut community, Thanyaburi, Pathumthani province. Method: In this cross-sectional descriptive research, data were collected from the elderly aged 60 years or older with at least one NCD during August to December 2017. We collected general characteristics, problems based on INHOMESSS home visit guide and DRPs and causes by the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe guideline (PCNE) version 7.0 DRP identification guide. Result: In 39 participating elderly individuals, the majority were female (64.10%), with an average age of 70.8 years and graduated with primary school diploma (61.54%). Their income was mostly from their children or relatives and subsistence allowance with the income of less than 5,000 Baht per month in 61.54% of participants. Their health insurance mostly was universal coverage (84.62%). The most common chronic diseases were hypertension (97.44%), dyslipidemia (56.41%), diabetes (43.59%) and cardiovascular diseases (41.03%). The most detected problems by INHOMESSS family medicine tool were Nutrition (24.56%) followed by Examination (21.93%) and Medication (18.42%). The most prevalent DRP from the PCNE V7.0 were unnecessary drug treatment (61.90%) followed by untreated indication (19.05%). The most found causes of DRP were forgetting to take medication (36.17%) followed by using unnecessary drugs (27.66%) and inappropriate drug storage (17.02%). Conclusion: Home visits allowed for more reliable information. Awareness on diet control, weight control and the necessity of drug compliance should be raised. Home care services provided by family pharmacists should be promoted. Keywords: Drug related problem, INHOMESSS, PCNE V7.0, elderly person, non-communicable chronic disease, family pharmacist