TY - JOUR
T1 - Pharmacist interventions in Asian healthcare environments for older people
T2 - a systematic review and meta-analysis on hospitalization, mortality, and quality of life
AU - Kim, In Ja
AU - Ryu, Gina
AU - Rhie, Sandy Jeong
AU - Kim, Hwa Jung
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - Background: Pharmaceutical interventions play a key role in the care of older people experiencing polypharmacy. Despite the rapid increase in the aging population in Asia, there is a lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of pharmacist interventions on older adult’s healthcare. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effects of pharmacist interventions in Asian health care environments on hospitalization, mortality, and quality of life (QoL) among older people in Asia. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across 5 databases, encompassing studies published from inception through June 2023. Only studies involving pharmacist interventions for people aged 65 years or older, residing in Asian countries, were considered. Studies without evidence of pharmacist involvement or conducted outside of Asia were excluded. Data extraction was performed by two reviewers, one reviewer (I.K.) performed the initial extraction, and another reviewer (G.R.) verified the extracted data. Forest plots were generated using a random effects model to obtain risk ratios or pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs). Results: A total of 170 articles underwent thorough review, and ultimately, ten studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-analyses. These studies encompassed diverse healthcare settings such as outpatient, inpatient, and nursing homes, with sample sizes ranging from 32 to 306 older people. Pharmacist interventions were found to significantly reduce hospitalization rates (n = 5, risk ratio = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.41–0.81) and mortality rates (n = 4, risk ratio = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.37–0.88) among older people. The analysis revealed less significant improvement in QoL in these patients than in those receiving usual care (n = 6, SMD = 0.36, P = 0.057). Conclusions: These findings highlight the crucial role of pharmacists within healthcare teams in Asian countries. Pharmacist interventions have an impact on reducing hospitalization and mortality rates among the elderly people, underscoring the importance of optimizing patient outcomes in Asia.
AB - Background: Pharmaceutical interventions play a key role in the care of older people experiencing polypharmacy. Despite the rapid increase in the aging population in Asia, there is a lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of pharmacist interventions on older adult’s healthcare. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effects of pharmacist interventions in Asian health care environments on hospitalization, mortality, and quality of life (QoL) among older people in Asia. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across 5 databases, encompassing studies published from inception through June 2023. Only studies involving pharmacist interventions for people aged 65 years or older, residing in Asian countries, were considered. Studies without evidence of pharmacist involvement or conducted outside of Asia were excluded. Data extraction was performed by two reviewers, one reviewer (I.K.) performed the initial extraction, and another reviewer (G.R.) verified the extracted data. Forest plots were generated using a random effects model to obtain risk ratios or pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs). Results: A total of 170 articles underwent thorough review, and ultimately, ten studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-analyses. These studies encompassed diverse healthcare settings such as outpatient, inpatient, and nursing homes, with sample sizes ranging from 32 to 306 older people. Pharmacist interventions were found to significantly reduce hospitalization rates (n = 5, risk ratio = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.41–0.81) and mortality rates (n = 4, risk ratio = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.37–0.88) among older people. The analysis revealed less significant improvement in QoL in these patients than in those receiving usual care (n = 6, SMD = 0.36, P = 0.057). Conclusions: These findings highlight the crucial role of pharmacists within healthcare teams in Asian countries. Pharmacist interventions have an impact on reducing hospitalization and mortality rates among the elderly people, underscoring the importance of optimizing patient outcomes in Asia.
KW - Asia
KW - Hospitalization
KW - Mortality
KW - Older people
KW - Pharmacist intervention
KW - Quality of life
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195976523&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12877-024-05089-9
DO - 10.1186/s12877-024-05089-9
M3 - Review article
C2 - 38867148
AN - SCOPUS:85195976523
SN - 1471-2318
VL - 24
JO - BMC Geriatrics
JF - BMC Geriatrics
IS - 1
M1 - 513
ER -