What types of nursing facilities are more likely to adopt a pharmacist's medication review recommendations?

Background: Few studies in the literature have analyzed the determinants of pharmacist drug therapy recommendations in nursing facility settings, and those that have focus primarily on accepted/rejected recommendations by disease state.

Objective: To identify the set of nursing facility characteristics that are more likely to adopt a pharmacist's medication review recommendations.

Design: Cross-sectional, retrospective methods are used to examine 53 licensed nursing facilities receiving medication review services from a small independent consultant pharmacist practice with no ties to vendor pharmacy functions.

Preliminary evaluation of medication therapy management services in assisted living facilities in rural Minnesota.

Objectives: While pharmacists are providing medication therapy management (MTM) services, few programs have been assessed for outcomes, particularly those in rural areas. The objectives are to: 1) categorize the number and type of drug-therapy problems (DTPs) that were identified by consultant pharmacists in assisted living facilities, 2) assess resident and administrator satisfaction of consultant pharmacist MTM services, and 3) assess the direct costs of providing MTM services and make some preliminary inferences about the program's economic viability.

Design: We conducted a cross-sectional, pilot study at 14 assisted living facilities over a 12-month period.