Drug Therapy Problems in Older Adults Referred for Geriatric Assessment

The Geriatric Evaluation and Management Day Hospital Program (GEM) is an 8-week multidisciplinary outpatient program that assesses and manages complex cognitive, medical, functional, and psychosocial issues in older adults. Older adults are more likely to live with multiple medical comorbidities and take many chronic medications. Combined with the physiological changes associated with aging, older adults are more susceptible to Drug Therapy Problems (DTPs). The purpose of this project was to determine which DTPs are commonly identified in patients referred to the GEM program. This project was approved by the University of Saskatchewan Biomedical Research Ethics Board. De-identified data was obtained from the charts of patients enrolled in the GEM Day Hospital between January 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Descriptive analysis was performed to determine the most common DTP categories, implicated medications and medical conditions in this patient population. The most common DTP category identified by this review was “Additional Drug Required”, most often due to lack of osteoporosis medication and inadequate pain control. “Adverse Drug Reactions” was the second most prominent DTP category; the most common culprit was orthostatic hypotension from antihypertensives. This study highlights potential areas of improvement when caring for older adults in the community.