All Physicians Should Engage In Pharmaceutical Whack-A-Mole: Please Follow Physiatry ’ s Lead

Medical school prepares physicians to prescribe medications for prevention and treatment of disease, but little to no time is spent teaching something just as important: de-prescribing. In our current system of auto-refills, e-prescriptions, and mindless “check box” EMR medication reconciliation, patients may continue taking medications years after their original prescriber intended them to stop. There is no doubt that many Americans are over-medicated, and the problem compounds itself as we age. Although “no-no” lists for Seniors (a tip of the hat to the American Geriatrics Society “Beers List”) have been published and promoted, many elderly Americans are prescribed medicines known to be of likely harm to them. You may be surprised to learn that one medical specialty has taken advanced steps to address this problem. Physiatry (also known as Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or PM&R) is a national leader in pain management education, and is the author and promoter of  the majority of continued medical education (CME) courses on reducing opioid prescribing in favor of alternative pain management strategies. But did you also know that most patients who are admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) are tested on their capability to correctly administer their own medications before they are discharged home? The MedBox test provides a validated cognitive performance assessment of whether or not an individual can correctl...
Source: Better Health - Category: American Health Authors: Tags: Health Policy Uncategorized Beers criteria de-prescribing deprescribing Falls Hospital Readmission Rate Reduction MedBox Test over medicated Patient Safety Physiatry polypharmacy Side Effects Source Type: blogs