Role of Pharmacist in Nursing Homes

Definition

Nursing homes are a place where those patients who don’t need hospitalization but can't be cared for at home. Most nursing homes have aides and skilled nurses for 24-hour care.

Nursing homes mainly reside in old age patients (sometimes nursing is purely called an old age home). But it is not hard and fast for those patients who are chronic they may be young they are admitted there. Nursing homes basically reside that patient who is not critically ill but those patients who are not normal but the disease state is such that it is not critical and can't be cared for at a hospital because of high hospitalization expenses and burden on the hospital and also it can't be treated well at home. 

Specialized units/spaces/homes are provided to them. Sometimes instead of a residing patient at the nursing home patient is treated by nurses at their own homes, this is also included in nursing home care.

Care Provided by Nursing Homes

Nursing homes provide both medical and residential care. Residential care involves all the care which involve social and physical need and spiritual needs of each individual patient accordingly.

Pharmacist and Nursing Home Relationship

The provision of pharmaceutical services is an integral part of the care provided to nursing home residents. Pharmacists in nursing homes provide routine emergency drugs and biologicals to the residents of nursing homes. 

The role of pharmacists in a nursing home is the same as it is considered in other health setups like hospitals. The fact is that drugs can't be handled properly without the involvement of pharmacists in safe handling. But despite these facts, the majority of nursing homes don’t have a full-time pharmacist and some of them even do not acquire the services of a pharmacist at all.

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Methods of Handling Drugs in Nursing Homes By Pharmacists

The majority of nursing homes don’t acquire the duties of full-time pharmacists. The main problem why they are unable to acquire the duties of a pharmacist is financial limitations. 

Secondly, the number of pharmacists is not enough to fulfill all the requirements of all nursing homes. Here are some approaches that how nursing homes acquire the duties of a pharmacist:

1. Contract with a nearby hospital to provide pharmacy services.
2. Non-pharmacists have been involved just like aides and nurses themselves go for medication management.
3. In Hospital-based nursing homes, such facilities are provided by the main pharmacy of the hospital.
4. Contract with the nearby community pharmacy to provide them services.
5. There are also independent pharmacies specializing in meeting drug needs and consulting services specific to long-term facilities.
6. By providing full-time pharmacy services.

Community Pharmacists and Nursing Homes

Although it is previously said that it is very difficult to have full-time pharmacy service the other better possible approach is to contract with a nearby community pharmacy. 

Pharmacists of the community pharmacy visit regularly for a specific duration of time to give services to the patients. However, some states in the US said that according to the law, the duration and timing of pharmacists must be mentioned. Alternatives if a pharmacist is not there or on leave must be specified.

Pharmacies specializing in Nursing Homes

Point number 6 above is about independent pharmacies specializing in meeting the drug needs of nursing homes. Such pharmacies work on the communication process. Communication (i.e. telephone, fax, email), etc. are used to deliver the demand for pharmacists about drugs. 

Drugs are then delivered to the nursing home through courier services. Such type of specialized pharmacies usually serve more than one nursing home and are located around 100 miles distance. In case of an emergency nearby community pharmacist is consulted instead of waiting for 100 miles to be covered.

Role of Pharmacist in Nursing Homes

The role of pharmacists in Nursing homes is not far different than the role of pharmacists in other health settings. However, the role of a pharmacist is a bit challenging here in nursing homes, because of the facts that are

1. The residents are usually chronically ill and in such cases, the chronic use of medication increases the chances of Adverse drug reactions and side effects are high.
2. Residents usually take a combination of drug terms used as polypharmacy. A study shows that on average each resident of the nursing home takes 8-10 drugs, which is quite a favorable figure for drug interaction, and in the case of polypharmacy (8-10 drugs combination) the chances of drug interaction are above 50 percent.
3. Nursing home residents are usually old people in such cases due to poor pharmacokinetics of drugs in the body chances of drug interaction are high.
4. Comorbidities are also one of the facts which go in favor of drug interaction. Residents on average have at least 4 active medical diagnoses. In such cases, drug-disease interaction, and drug-drug interaction may occur.

Due to the above facts and reasons, the role of the pharmacist is highly demanding in such types of extended care facilities.

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