Use of digital health records improve health of the elderly

Psychoactive drugs such as anti-anxiety medicines impact a person’s neurochemistry and may predispose elderly patients to falls, which are a major cause of injury and death in the elderly.

Geisinger pharmacists and geriatricians recently reviewed the medication records of several hundred elderly patients using Geisinger’s advanced, $90 million Electronic Health Record.

After the review, the patient’s primary care doctor received an e-mail that contained medication recommendations tailored to individual patients.

Elderly patients used fewer psychoactive medications after their cases were reviewed, which has the potential to reduce falls, according to a Geisinger study in the April Journal of General Internal Medicine.

“Our research shows the importance of documenting a person’s medication lists,” Geisinger Director of Internal Medicine and lead study lead author Valerie Weber, MD said. “The Electronic Health Record is a great tool for monitoring a person’s medication and avoiding usage problems.”

It’s estimated that 30% of patients over 65 take eight or more medications, which helps fuel healthcare spending. U.S. prescription drug sales topped more than $250 billion in 2007.-Geisinger Health System