How to Prevent ADEs
Patel suggests five ways to prevent these ADEs:
1. Using single dose blister packs that make medications easy to give. “Everything is clearly labeled and time specific. Aides just pop out the pills from the pack. If you look at the card and the medication is still in the bubble pack, you know it’s not been administered. It’s simple and promotes accountability,” Patel says.
2. Having electronic medication administration records. It is important to have a system that makes it easy for staff to document and administer medications. This can help prevent errors. Patel stresses, “It’s important to have easy-to-use tools that fit in with staff’s workflow instead of adding more steps and increasing the opportunity for errors.”
3. Ensuring practitioners and caregivers understand the I/DD population. For instance, Patel says, “A lot of our I/DD clients can tolerate higher doses of medications than the general public. Due to developmental disabilities, they metabolize drugs differently.” At the same time, many have impaired cognition and may not be able to communicate when, for example, they are constipated or having trouble sleeping.
4. Increasing pharmacist-prescriber communication. It’s the pharmacist’s job to stay up to date on medications, and they may have more current data than busy prescribers. Additionally, if the individual gets all their medications from one pharmacy provider (which is highly recommended), that provider will know about all the medications they’re taking and can immediately identify potential for drug interactions and ADEs. They also can watch for duplicate prescriptions and opportunities for therapeutic alternatives.
5. Ensuring family education. Family caregivers should be encouraged to utilize the expertise and support of the pharmacy professional. “Every pharmacist will provide written and verbal communication and information about medications. They will help the family understand the potential harm of drug interactions with food, alcohol, and other medications. And they will explain why it may be important to give drugs at certain times. For instance, if a medication causes excitability, you will want to administer it in the morning,” Patel says. The family also should be advised to tell the pharmacist if the individual starts taking a new supplement or over-the-counter medication. “The pharmacist is the frontline healthcare professional and should be utilized to help made sure medications are given correctly and having the desired results,” he notes.