Medication Risk Mitigation: Coordinating and Collaborating with Health Care Systems, Universities, and Researchers to Facilitate the Design and Execution of Practice-Based Research

Abstract

The high prevalence of inappropriate polypharmacy in geriatric populations is unacceptable. Traditional medication risk mitigation (MRM) strategies have proven to be effective at improving polypharmacy, but these strategies have not consistently translated into positive health outcomes. Enhanced MRM strategies, such as using pharmacogenomics information, are needed, and these strategies need to be tested. A formidable challenge is successfully integrating pharmacogenomic information into clinical practice. As the medication experts on health care teams, pharmacists have a clear role to play in developing, integrating, and assessing enhanced MRM strategies to improve therapeutic outcomes for geriatric patients.

Keywords: Medication risk mitigation; Medication therapy management; Personalized medicine; Pharmacogenomics; Pharmacy practice; Polypharmacy.