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. 2021 Oct;24(5):1570-1581.
doi: 10.1111/hex.13318. Epub 2021 Jul 21.

Tools to evaluate medication management for caregivers of people living with dementia: A systematic review

Melissa Gench  1 , Mouna J Sawan  1 , Aili Langford  1 , Danijela Gnjidic  1   2
Affiliations

Tools to evaluate medication management for caregivers of people living with dementia: A systematic review

Melissa Gench et al. Health Expect. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Caregivers often undertake medication management for people living with dementia without formal training. There is a need to evaluate caregiver medication management practices for people living with dementia to identify and address the key issues that contribute to caregiver burden.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify and summarize approaches that evaluate medication management for caregivers of people living with dementia and appraise caregiver's involvement in aspects of medication management.

Search strategy: A systematic search was undertaken in five databases: Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts. Studies written in English that contained tools and surveys that evaluated aspects of medication management for caregivers of PWD were included.

Results: A total of 10 studies were included. Medication selection was assessed in six studies, supply and monitoring/review was captured in seven studies, with administration assessed in nine studies. Caregivers were commonly involved in decision-making for medication changes (77.1%-86.8%) and in the ordering (55.9%-86.0%) and collection (87.0%-92.4%) of medications. Reported caregiver involvement in medication administration showed a wide range (44%-94.7%) between the studies. Challenges in administration were commonly related to polypharmacy and dosage regimen complexity.

Conclusions: Current tools capture specific aspects of medication management, with medication administration the most evaluated aspect of medication management. Future research is needed to develop a tool to holistically evaluate the complexities of medication management for caregivers of people living with dementia to minimize adverse events at transitions of care.

Public contribution: From the authors' previous research, caregivers highlighted the need to address key issues in medication management for people living with dementia.

Keywords: caregiver; dementia; medication management; transitions of care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.

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Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart
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