Medication Compliance in Elderly :: essays research papers

Running Head: Enhancing Medication Compliance in Elderly Individuals Research Utilization Paper An Intervention Study to Enhance Medication Compliance in Community-Dwelling Elderly Individuals Chris Elmer HSCI 401 Fall 2001 My research study was to determine whether daily videotelephone or regular telephone reminders would increase the quantity of prescribed cardiac medication taken in a sample of elderly individuals who have congestive heart failure (CHF) (Peteva, 2001). Within this research I would disseminate the new scientific knowledge with the help of the pharmaceutical company that makes the congestive heart failure medication. With the help and support of the pharmaceutical maker, I would provide a full in-service to the nursing staff of hospitals and doctor’s offices alike. In doing this, this would provide a friendly and educational atmosphere in a nursing practice setting to get complete understanding of the research findings and how they as nurses can make a difference in the consumption of prescribed medication. Secondly, I would write a journal article and have it published in the pharmaceutical’s bulletin to include a well-known nursing journal. These journal articles would contain the findings of the research and suggestions on how the nursing staff can help the patients improve the compliance of taking prescribed medication. Once the information is disseminated into the medical public, the nurses will apply the learned knowledge to their practice for the elderly patients who are taking congestive heart failure medication. First, the nurse will collect all the patients that are currently taking congestive heart failure medication and explain to them on a one-on-one basis the benefits of having reminders to comply with taking prescribed medications. Then nurse would also explain the pros and cons of the reminders and that the videotelephone reminders would be provided at no cost to the patient. If the patient agrees to utilize the videotelephone reminder, the patient would sign a patient confidentiality agreement and liability agreement for legal reasons. What the agreements would stand for is a â€Å"need to know basis,† meaning that the patients information is strictly confidential and those who are on a need to know basis would have access to the patients information. The liability agreement is s o that the patient could not sue the pharmaceutical company or the medical facility where they are being treated if a complaint involved only the videotelephone reminder program. Once the videotelephone reminder program is implemented the pharmaceutical company and myself would provide quarterly visits to the medical site to collect data on the progress of the program.