Cost savings from medication reviews in community pharmacies for nursing home residents in Estonia: a case study.
BMC Health Serv Res
; 24(1): 1119, 2024 Sep 27.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39334081
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The aim of this study is to assess the cost savings from medication reviews conducted for individuals living in nursing homes in Estonia. Medication reviews performed as part of the automated dose dispensing (ADD) service by community pharmacies might help identify suboptimal medicine regimens.METHODS:
We use a case study approach to identify suboptimal use of medication in treatment plans and estimate the potential cost saving from medication reviews. To achieve this, we assess 101 treatment plans submitted for medication review by nursing homes in Estonia between 2021 and 2023. Additionally, we run OLS regressions to identify the most important determinants of medication cost savings.RESULTS:
We estimate an average direct cost saving of 43.62 per patient per year, which corresponds to 8.27% of the average annual medication costs. If medication reviews were conducted for all elderly individuals over 75 years old who use six or more prescription medicines, nearly 2% of Estonia's pharmaceutical budget could be saved. Regression analysis indicates that the most significant contributors to these cost savings are suboptimal use of generics, incorrect dosages (too high), and the elimination of incorrect medications.CONCLUSIONS:
Our study suggests that annual medication reviews conducted as part of the ADD service might help reduce medication expenditure when offered to a wider public.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Redução de Custos
/
Casas de Saúde
Limite:
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Health Serv Res
Assunto da revista:
PESQUISA EM SERVICOS DE SAUDE
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estônia