Exploring structures and processes of medicines management in elderly hospitalised patients in the United Arab Emirates.

Al Shemeili, Saeed Khamis

Abstract

Given the complexity of medicines use in elderly patients, structures and processes of medicines management are key to deriving best outcomes. This research was conducted in hospitals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and focused on the patient journey from admission to discharge. The overall aim was to explore the structures and processes of medicines management in elderly hospitalised patients in the UAE, conducted in three phases. After reviewing systematic reviews on aspects of medicines management (e.g. reconciliation), Phase 1 focused on a specific, emerging tool - the Drug Burden Index (DBI) - relating to anticholinergic/sedative agents, which are problematic in the elderly. The aim was to critically appraise, synthesize and present evidence of DBI use. The review protocol was registered with the Joanna Briggs Institute and conducted according to best accepted practice. The key finding was the lack of evidence of DBI use prospectively to identify potentially inappropriate prescribing. Phase 2 employed a qualitative phenomenological design to explore health professionals' views and experiences of medicines management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-seven professionals, and analysed using Normalization Process Theory (NPT) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Findings revealed little evidence of coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring (NPT). The TDF domains that were dominant included: professional role and identity; beliefs about capabilities; beliefs about consequences; environmental context and resources; and knowledge. Phase 3 used the Delphi technique with the aim of determining consensus around medicines management using an expert panel of policy makers, educators and lead health professionals. Findings from Phases 1 and 2 were used in construction of validated statements. A high level of consensus (greater-than-or-equal-to 70% 'strongly agree' or 'agree') was obtained for statements other than those for targeting medicines management (rather than all elderly admissions) and for tasks linked to professions (rather than trained staff). Overall, this research has generated original findings focused on the entire inpatient hospital journey, particularly the need to more clearly define, refine and agree on healthcare structures and processes across the entire patient journey from admission to discharge. The use of the NPT and TDF has highlighted those individual practitioners and organisational issues which require consideration.

Citation

AL SHEMEILI, S.K. 2015. Exploring structures and processes of medicines management in elderly hospitalised patients in the United Arab Emirates. Robert Gordon University, PhD thesis.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Dec 14, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 14, 2015
• Keywords: Medicines management; Structures; Processes; Drug; Burden; Index; Qualitative interview; TDFNPT; Delphi study
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/1370
• Award Date: Nov 30, 2015