Pharmacists in aged care: outcomes of a national stakeholders meeting

Background

Medicine safety is a critical concern for Australia's growing aged-care population. Pharmacists play a vital role in improving medicines management, but their integration into aged-care settings requires careful planning.

Aim

To report on the outcomes of a national meeting of stakeholders in Australia exploring the integration of pharmacists into aged care to enhance medicine safety for aged-care residents.

Method

A stakeholder meeting was held in July 2023 including 73 pharmacists, five general practitioners, three geriatricians, three industry stakeholders, three researchers, one student pharmacist, and one nurse. Four working groups focused on medicines management, pharmacist training, role description, and refining the vision for a Community of Practice. Ethical approval was granted by the University of Western Australian Human Research Ethics Committee (Reference no: 36895) and the study conforms with the National statement on ethical conduct in human research. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. At the start of the stakeholder meeting, attendees were informed about the project details, including the intended use of their data for publication. All participants were informed that participation was voluntary, and they could choose to exclude their data at any time. No participants requested withdrawal.

Results

The medicines management working group highlighted areas for improvement in health policy, aged-care facility environment (resources, staff training, and cultural considerations) and broader healthcare sector collaboration. The training working group proposed a flexible, workplace-based program focusing on core competencies like communication, geriatric therapeutics and medication review skills, facilitated by mentorship, workshops, and peer review. The role description working group explored the responsibilities of aged-care pharmacists, including medication reviews, deprescribing, error reduction and contributing to care plans, with credentialling deemed essential. Finally, the Community of Practice working group envisioned a platform for knowledge sharing, professional development and workforce growth through virtual meetings, case studies, resource development, and mentorship opportunities.

Conclusion

This stakeholder meeting identified key strategies for integrating pharmacists into Australian aged care. Implementing these recommendations has the potential to improve medicines management and clinical outcomes.