Classification system for primary care provider eConsults about medications for older adults with frailty.
BMC Prim Care
; 25(1): 104, 2024 Apr 02.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38565981
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Providing primary care for people with frailty can be challenging due to an increased risk of adverse outcomes and use of potentially inappropriate medications which may exacerbate characteristics of frailty. eConsult is a service where primary care providers can receive timely specialist advice for their patients through a secure web-based application. We aimed to develop a classification system to characterize medication-focused eConsult questions for older adults with frailty and assess its usability.METHODS:
A classification system was developed and refined over three cycles of improvement through a cross-sectional study of 35 cases categorized as medication-focused from cases submitted in 2019 for patients aged 65 or older with frailty through the Champlain BASE eConsult service (Ontario, Canada). The final classification system was then applied to each case.RESULTS:
The classification system contains 5 sections (1) case descriptives; (2) intent and type of question; (3) medication recommendations and additional information in the response; (4) medication classification; and (5) potentially inappropriate medications. Among the 35 medication-focused cases, the most common specialties consulted were endocrinology (9 cases, 26%) and cardiology (5 cases, 14%). Medication histories were available for 29 cases (83%). Many patients were prescribed potentially inappropriate medications based on explicit tools (AGS Beers Criteria®, STOPPFall, Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale, ThinkCascades) yet few consults inquired about these medications.CONCLUSION:
A classification system to describe medication-related eConsult cases for patients experiencing frailty was developed and applied to 35 eConsult cases. It can be applied to more cases to identify professional development opportunities and enhancements for eConsult services.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Fragilidad
Límite:
Aged
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Prim Care
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Canadá