The importance of the pharmacist in medication adherence and conciliation of elderly residents in long-stay institutions

Abstract

The aging of the Brazilian population, together with the aging of the elderly population brings changes in modern society and in family arrangements, which ends up resulting in a greater visibility of this group. The insertion to a long permanence institution for the elderly (ILPs) comes as an option for those family members who are not able to understand the changes linked to aging. The accumulation of pathologies, reduction of the sensory-perceptual capacities, growth in the consumption of medicines by this group demands more attention and daily care. The relationship between the pharmaceutical professional and the multiprofessional team and the interaction with the patient is extremely important to improve the health, safety and quality of life of the patient. The conciliation of medication comes as a strategy for the optimization of pharmacotherapy and also improvement of adherence to treatment, is a process that  aims to make the communication between the clinical history of the patient with all the medicines of continuous use. The objective of this literature review was to report on the importance of the clinical pharmacist in the process of adherence and conciliation of medication of institutionalized patients and together with the multiprofessional team improve their quality of life.