Identifying Barriers to Helping Older Adults Select Safe OTC Medications

Preliminary Studies

Our preliminary studies helped us to identify both pharmacist barriers (Figure 2) and older adult barriers (Figure 3) to safe over-the-counter medication selection in the community pharmacy.

Identifying Pharmacist Barriers to Helping Older Adults Select Safe OTC Medications

Study Title

Appropriate Over-the-counter Medication Use in the Older Adult: Pharmacists’ Role in Reducing Harm

Funding

Award by the UW School of Pharmacy Research Innovations, 2010

Overview

• Objective: Decrease inappropriate OTC medication use in a rapidly expanding and particularly vulnerable patient population.
• Aim 1: Document the nature and extent of information, advice, and counseling by community pharmacists to older adults and their caregivers about potentially inappropriate OTC medications.
• Aim 2: Characterize barriers and facilitators to providing OTC medication recommendations.

Collaborators and Stakeholders

• School of Pharmacy: Michelle Chui, Joshua Thorpe, Beth A. Martin
• UW Survey Center: Kenneth D. Croes

Funding Timeline

July 2010 – June 2012

Associated Publications & Presentations

• Chui MA, Stone JA, Martin BA, Croes K., Thorpe JT.   Safeguarding Older Adults from Inappropriate Over the Counter Medications: The Role of the Community Pharmacist. The Gerontologist 2014 Dec; 54(6): 989-1000 doi:10.1093/geront/gnt130
• Chui MA, Stone JA, Thorpe JM, Martin BA.  Exploring work system barriers to effective over-the-counter counseling.  Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Annual Meeting 2013 57:1098 doi: 10.1177/1541961213571244

Identifying Older Adult barriers to Helping Older Adults Select Safe OTC Medications

Study Title

Exploring Over the Counter Medication Safety in Older Adults

Funding

Award by the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, 2014

Overview

• Objective: Prevent medication misuse in a particularly vulnerable and growing older adult population.
• Aim 1: Describe factors that contribute to how older adults currently select OTC medications from the patient’s perspective.
• Aim 2: Conduct a diagnostic analysis to refine the elements of an innovative collaborative pharmacist-patient intervention.

Collaborators and Stakeholders

• School of Pharmacy: Michelle Chui (PI), Jamie Stone (Associate Researcher)
• ShopKo: Ken Walker
• WI Dept. of Veteran Affairs: Cynthia Phelan (Co-I), Lauren Welch (Co-I)
• Oregon Area Senior Center: Alison Koelsch
• Supporting Active Independent Lives (SAIL): Ann Albert
• Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin: Sarah Sorum

Funding Timeline

October 2014 – June 2016

Associated Publications & Presentations

• Stone JA, Lester CA, Phelan C, Welch LL, Aboneh EA, Chui MA. A Preliminary Examination of Over-the-Counter Medication Misuse Rates in Older Adults. Research in Social Administrative Pharmacy. 2016 Jan 18. pii: S1551-7411(16)00027-9. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2016.01.004
• Stone JA, Phelan CH, Holden RJ, Jacobson N, Chui MA. A pilot study of decision factors influencing over-the-counter medication selection and use by older adults. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2020 Aug;16(8):1117-1120. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.11.013.