Pharmacy students help physicians manage patients' medications

With recent studies showing one in three older adults taking at least five prescription drugs and half regularly using dietary supplements or over-the-counter drugs, the need for proper medication management has become a critical health issue in Connecticut and elsewhere.

Students and faculty in the School of Pharmacy are doing their part by stepping up to help physicians manage their patients’ medications to avoid potentially dangerous drug interactions and make sure patients are complying with their medication directives to improve their health.

At four locations around the state, pharmacy faculty and students are working alongside primary care physicians in helping manage underserved, uninsured patients suffering from persistent health problems.

The patients often have multiple chronic illnesses that are being treated with several medications and require regular medication management, says Marie Smith, head of the pharmacy practice department in the School of Pharmacy.

The students participate during their final year of the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program. By then, they have already completed five years of academic coursework in pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacotherapeutics, patient communication, and health care systems.

Toward a model program
The doctors and patients appreciate the help. “The primary care model is broken,” Smith says.

“Doctors are overwhelmed and have limited time to manage complex medication regimens, learn about actual prescribed and non-prescribed medication use at home, detect drug interactions, and determine patient factors affecting medication compliance.

“UConn is helping build a model program that incorporates a pharmacist’s expertise in medication management into a practical primary care system,” she adds.

Individuals with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic pain due to arthritis or osteoporosis, and those participating in smoking cessation programs are just some of the patients ideally suited for this kind of medication therapy management, Smith says.

Nearly 71 percent of physician office visits involve some form of medication management, according to the 2006 National Ambulatory Medical Survey.

A study published in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that an estimated 175,000 adults age 65 and older will visit the emergency room this year for treatment due to adverse drug reactions.

A separate study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago showed that for every dollar spent by hospitals or health systems on clinical pharmacy services, $4.81 was saved through lower drug costs, fewer adverse drug events, and fewer medication errors.