Using informatics to improve residential aged care

Optimising pharmacist-led medication reviews

Older people in residential aged care (RAC) are at an increased risk of experiencing medication-related problems, significantly impacting their quality of life.

Full project name: Leveraging informatics to optimise pharmacist-led medication reviews in residential aged care to improve outcomes and cost-effectiveness

Project sponsors: The National Health and Medical Research Council Medical Research Future Fund grant (MRFMMMIP000048)

About the project

Medication-related problems cause an estimated 250,000 hospitalisations annually in Australia, costing an estimated A$1.4 billion.

Pharmacist-led medication management reviews (MMRs) can significantly reduce medication-related problems. When well conducted and recommended changes are actioned, MMRs can lead to:

• fewer overall medications used
• fewer potentially inappropriate medications
• decreased risk of all-cause mortality
• improved cost-effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for residents.

However, there is poor uptake of medication management reviews in RAC, with only 40 per cent of people receiving a review during their time in RAC. The current approach is ad-hoc, there is poor monitoring follow-up and outcomes of MMRs, and there is no evidence-based approach to identifying who would benefit from a review.

Learn more about the BESTMED Connect project.

Project goals

The overarching aim is to utilise informatics to develop a one-stop platform for all stakeholders – including pharmacists, GPs, RAC staff, and residents and their families/carers – to access and monitor the MMR process to ensure reviews are meaningful and conducted in a timely manner.

This project aims to:

• develop and validate a dynamic model to identify residents at risk of medication-related problems
• develop and test an eMMR-portal to track the medication review process using user-centred design
• assess the impact of the intervention on medication use and resident outcomes through a cluster trial
• evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the eMMR-portal relative to current practice.

We are working closely with all stakeholders and our consumer panel of people with lived experience of a loved one in RAC to develop, test and evaluate the intervention.

Project lead: Associate Professor Magda Raban

• Professor Henry Cutler
• Dr Rajendra Gyawali
• Dr Guogui Huang
• Rachel Jenkins
• Dr Sandun Malpriya Silva
• Dr Isabelle Meulenbroeks
• Dr Amy Nguyen
• Marea O'Donnell
• Dr Bayzid Rahman
• Dr Smriti Raichand
• Dr Karla Seaman
• Dr Rachel Urwin
• Dr Nasir Wabe
• Professor Johanna Westbrook

Other members and collaborators

• Dr Antonio Ahumada-Canale – University Technology Sydney
• Karen Martin – consumer representative
• Robyn Nolan – consumer representative
• Associate Professor Rosemary Saunders – Edith Cowan University
• Dr Tim Tse – MQ Health
• Dr Bosco Wu – MQ Health

• BESTMED
• Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
• Aged & Community Care Providers Association
• Consumers Health Forum of Australia