Improving Medication Safety in the Nursing Home Setting

Because residents in long-term care facilities often have comorbidities, polypharmacy can be an issue. What are the most common types of adverse drug events that can occur among long-term care patients taking multiple medications? Dr. Steven Handler, assistant professor in the department of biomedical informatics and the department of geriatric medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the medical director for long-term care health information technology for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, says the current methods for monitoring medications in nursing homes are inadequate for protecting against adverse drug events, and suggests ways to improve medication safety in long-term care. What tools might help practitioners in long-term care better detect and prevent adverse drug events? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.