500,000 people affected

Do you take more than five medications a day?

500,000 patients in Austria take more than five different medications. Not including over-the-counter medicines.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/gesrey)

Half a million people have to take several pills, capsules and tablets at the same time every day due to illness. This is often very complicated, especially for older people. A new study shows that medication analysis in pharmacies can reduce problems with medicines by up to 70 percent.

It is not so unusual for elderly patients to have to take different medicines on the same day. After a stroke or heart attack, there are usually at least five, often more. In addition, there are also over-the-counter medications (e.g. headache medication), vitamins and nutritional supplements. Half a million people in Austria belong to this large group of sufferers, including younger people with inflammatory diseases, immune deficiencies or congenital conditions.

It is not always easy to manage their intake. The average person often doesn't know exactly what they have to consider in detail.

The pharmacists' association has therefore launched a pilot project for the optimal care and information of these patients, for which a further training series has already been offered, in which 3000 pharmacists throughout Austria have already taken part: A medication analysis is to be offered in order to achieve greater patient safety.

Our service allows us to identify medicines that are no longer needed and minimize interactions.

Mag. Raimund Podroschko, Vizepräsident der Österreichischen Apothekerkammer

Bild: www.nunofoto.com

A recent study by the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists, MedUni Vienna and the umbrella organization of social insurance carriers, which was presented in Vienna, underlines the importance of this service: Medication analysis in pharmacies reduces problems caused by medicines for patients by an average of 70 percent! In addition, targeted advice significantly increases the subjective well-being of patients. It can even reduce the number of medications or active ingredients required by around ten percent. The study involved people who take eight pharmaceutical products a day. 

Minimizing interactions
"Medication analysis is an important pharmaceutical service for all people who have to take several medications at the same time. It involves taking a professional and systematic look at a patient's overall medication. This allows medications that are no longer needed to be identified and interactions to be minimized. The benefits are clearly demonstrated by the study: improved personal health, enhanced individual health literacy, greater adherence to treatment and lower subsequent treatment costs for the healthcare system," reports Raimund Podroschko, Vice President of the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists.

Soon to be a health insurance-financed service for all?
"I therefore hope that medication analysis in Austria, as in Germany, can benefit at least all 500,000 polypharmacy patients as a health insurance-financed service provided by pharmacists as soon as possible," says the pharmacist.

What also emerged in the course of the study and urgently needs to be improved: Modernization of the electronic health record ELGA, the obligation of registered doctors to code diagnoses as well as the mandatory e-card, e-prescription and ELGA participation of elective doctors are urgently needed. This is emphasized by Andreas Huss, Chairman of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund and current Chairman of the Conference of the Umbrella Association of Social Insurance Institutions

Safety for older people in nursing homes
He is supported in this by Dr. Michaela Wlattnig, spokesperson for Austria's patient advocates: "It is imperative that medication analysis is established as a health insurance benefit, as this would mean considerable added value for the health of the older population and those in need of care. It is particularly important to me that this option is also available to people in retirement and nursing homes, as they are often affected by polypharmacy."