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United Daily News / Reporter Zhan Jianfu / Taipei Report
October 14, 2009, 02:56 AM
To prevent people from visiting multiple hospitals, bringing home a pile of medications, and unknowingly suffering adverse effects, the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) and the Pharmacists Association will launch a pilot program for pharmacist home care starting next January. Patients who visit doctors more than 100 times a year will receive home visits from pharmacists for direct medication guidance.
For example, a 70-year-old man in Taipei County was taking up to 18 pills a day, leading to hallucinations where he often told his family, "A row of ancestors is sitting in the living room." After a case manager arranged for a pharmacist to provide counseling, his medication was reduced to just five pills, and the hallucinations disappeared. His family expressed deep gratitude.
Lian Ruimeng, chairman of the Taiwan Pharmacist Association, noted that pharmacists typically provide medication guidance in hospitals or community pharmacies. This marks the first time the BNHI has included pharmacist home care in its coverage, aiming to have pharmacists, like doctors and nurses, visit households to assist with medication issues.
Cai Shuling, manager of the BNHI’s Medical Affairs Department, explained that high-frequency patients are those who visit multiple hospitals for medications, possibly due to multiple chronic illnesses or mental health conditions. To respect patient rights, the BNHI will first seek consent before arranging pharmacist visits.
BNHI statistics show that at least 5,000 to 6,000 people visit doctors over 100 times a year, not only straining healthcare resources but also risking life-threatening medication duplication. Lian Ruimeng pointed out that the average number of medications per prescription in Taiwan is 7.7 times that of the U.S., with an estimated 30,000 deaths annually due to duplicate prescriptions.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ HEALTH/ HEA1/ 5192882. shtml
Starting Next January: Home Visits by Pharmacists for Frequent Patients
October 14, 2009, 02:56 AM
To prevent people from visiting multiple hospitals, bringing home a pile of medications, and unknowingly suffering adverse effects, the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) and the Pharmacists Association will launch a pilot program for pharmacist home care starting next January. Patients who visit doctors more than 100 times a year will receive home visits from pharmacists for direct medication guidance.
For example, a 70-year-old man in Taipei County was taking up to 18 pills a day, leading to hallucinations where he often told his family, "A row of ancestors is sitting in the living room." After a case manager arranged for a pharmacist to provide counseling, his medication was reduced to just five pills, and the hallucinations disappeared. His family expressed deep gratitude.
Lian Ruimeng, chairman of the Taiwan Pharmacist Association, noted that pharmacists typically provide medication guidance in hospitals or community pharmacies. This marks the first time the BNHI has included pharmacist home care in its coverage, aiming to have pharmacists, like doctors and nurses, visit households to assist with medication issues.
Cai Shuling, manager of the BNHI’s Medical Affairs Department, explained that high-frequency patients are those who visit multiple hospitals for medications, possibly due to multiple chronic illnesses or mental health conditions. To respect patient rights, the BNHI will first seek consent before arranging pharmacist visits.
BNHI statistics show that at least 5,000 to 6,000 people visit doctors over 100 times a year, not only straining healthcare resources but also risking life-threatening medication duplication. Lian Ruimeng pointed out that the average number of medications per prescription in Taiwan is 7.7 times that of the U.S., with an estimated 30,000 deaths annually due to duplicate prescriptions.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ HEALTH/ HEA1/ 5192882. shtml