title: Individualized assessment of the older patient.
abstract: The increase in the elderly population has influenced health care policy and economics to the point where even drug therapy for this group must be re-examined. Important drug use issues in the elderly include inadequately defined goals, multiple illnesses/multiple drugs, adverse reactions, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, compliance, and self-care. Specific strategies for dealing with each of these issues are acceptability/suitability of specific drugs, formalized compliance analysis, cooperative monitoring and profiling, effective patient communication, and patient education.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Institute, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science.
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Gerbino
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D004358:Drug Therapy; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D012646:Self Administration