Recent studies identify CHF as the most common reason for hospitalizations of the elderly which costs Medicare approximately ten billion dollars (Lopert, Shoemaker, Davidoff, et al., 2012). These studies recommend improving outpatient care that included a focus on drug therapy. .
In the home health environment, this author has noticed a trend of elderly patients who are not following their medication regimen as prescribed, as a result, these patients are continually rehospitalized. By simply adhering to their medication regimen, the CHF patient can improve their outcomes. The research done on adhering to medication regimen for CHF patients is usually done in clinical or hospital settings, very little research is done in the home care setting. Therefore, the purpose of this research study will be to identify interventions that help improve adherence to medication regimen of the elderly CHF home health care patients.
Research Question.
"What interventions can help improve adherence to medication regimen among home health care patients who are 60 years of age and older?" .
Literature Review.
To develop interventions to improve medication adherence of the home health CHF elderly patient, health care practitioners should become aware of research studies that identify barriers to medication regimen and possible interventions that can be useful. This literature review will include review of research articles that identify barriers for CHF patients to follow their medication regimen and some tested interventions.
Barriers Identified.
In an observational research study entitled Barriers to Medication Adherence in Chronic Heart Failure Patients during Home Visits, sixty-six CHF patients were observed by home health nurses. If a problem with medication adherence was identified, the nurse would refer the patient to a pharmacist who would visit the patient in their home.