Impact of Community Pharmacists' Medication Review on Medication Use Related Problems Among Older Adults in Penang: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Study

The aging population size has been enlarging globally. A higher number of older adults means a higher number of medication use. It is estimated that older adults are the largest medication consumers.That would result in various medication use problems which provide a link between polypharmacy, inappropriate medication, and deprescribing.[2] Primary health care providers especially community pharmacists are often the first point of healthcare towards older adults.[3] Various interventions are being carried out by community pharmacies to determine an optimal outcome on medication usage.

Medication review intervention is a clinical process where a pharmacist reviews a patient's medication, identifies any drug-related problems and suggests strategies to reduce the medication use problems. Medication review is being utilized in various countries especially in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD )regions ie Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the pharmacist were remunerated for the service. Although medication review is widely searched intervention globally, the scope for intervention is lacking in low and middle-income countries.

Community pharmacy is regarded as the first point of care of primary health care in a community for older adults. A systemic review search on community pharmacist-led intervention among the aging population has demonstrated medication adherence improvement outcomes. Consequently, community pharmacists can reduce medication use problems in different settings in the community in various ways and contribute to the patients' overall well-being and health-related quality of life.

There is a lack of information in Malaysia due to the fragmented health care system where there is no continuity of care between the public and private sectors. During this pandemic outbreak, when most countries suffer critical health care points, much effort and pharmaceutical care should be delivered towards older adults to reduce the current burden. This study assesses the feasibility of medication review for older adults at the community pharmacy level and identifies any medication-related problems in Penang state. The significance of this study is improving medication use among older adults at a primary care level and will probably upgrade the quality of the Malaysian health care system by providing some program and policy level solutions towards the problems.