Current Status of Comprehensive Medication Management in Long-term Care Facilities: Focused on Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States

Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication use have increased among the residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF). Nevertheless, Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) for LTCF residents was not implemented in Korea. The United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Australia have already introduced CMM for managing drug-related problems in LTCF. This study discussed the implications of developing the CMM service for LTCF residents in Korea by reviewing the system of these countries. The contents and requirements of CMM are investigated through relevant papers and official reports of the public institution of each country. The CMM service of these countries is regularly conducted based on their system and laws. In Canada, there are no additional requirements such as special education and qualifications for pharmacists providing CMM. But in other countries, it is preferred that pharmacists providing CMM are geriatric pharmacists or take the education that is equivalent to them. In addition, all these countries utilize national computer networks or electronic healthcare records that are used for executing CMM and for sharing with other medical experts, and then they are retained as official medical records. It is necessary to consider the system of other countries when introducing the CMM service for LTCF residents in Korea.