POLICY-MAKERS are being urged to look at options to improve access to home medicines reviews (HMR) for patients taking multiple medications, by a group of leading Australian pharmacists and health economists.
In an article published in the Journal of the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, the authors reported that the adjusted rate of polypharmacy in Australia was 1,389 per 100,000, with the authors warning there "may be a disconnect between the current level of service provision and population health needs".
The authors including, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia National President, Professor Chris Freeman, Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Health Head of School, Professor Lisa Nissen, and Griffith University Menzies Health Institute Co-Lead, Amanda Wheeler, noted polypharmacy was a risk factor of medication related problems.
"Given that polypharmacy is a risk factor for medication-related problems, and that medication review is one of the few targeted strategies currently available to address medication-related problems in the population, service provision may be inadequate," the authors said.
"Policy options to improve service provision could include interventions to increase workforce productivity and relaxing the current eligibility criteria for review, especially in rural and remote areas."
The authors noted the paper provided a representative population-based rate of polypharmacy in Australia, using a needs-based analysis of service provision and workforce adequacy to provide HMR services.
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