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Use of pharmacy services in community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults; findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

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posted on 2023-06-28, 14:24 authored by Logan T Murry, Michelle FloodMichelle Flood, Alice HoltonAlice Holton, Rose-Anne Kenny, Frank MoriartyFrank Moriarty

Introduction

The role of community pharmacists has evolved in recent years with expansion in pharmacy services offered. The extent to which patients utilise such services in community pharmacies in Ireland is unclear.

Objective

To assess pharmacy services use among adults aged ≥56 years in Ireland, and determine the demographic and clinical factors associated with pharmacy services use.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included community-dwelling participants in wave 4 of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), aged ≥56 years who were self-respondents. TILDA is a nationally representative cohort study, with wave 4 data collected during 2016. TILDA collects participant demographics and health data, in addition to information on the use of several services when visiting the pharmacy in the last 12 months. Characteristics and pharmacy services use were summarised. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association of demographic and health factors with reporting (i) any pharmacy service use and (ii) requesting medicines advice.

Results

Among 5782 participants (55.5% female, mean age 68 years), 96.6% (5587) reported visiting a pharmacy in the previous 12 months, and almost one fifth of these (1094) utilised at least one non-dispensing pharmacy service. The most common non-dispensing services reported were requesting advice about medications (786, 13.6%), blood pressure monitoring (184, 3.2%), and vaccination (166, 2.9%). Controlling for other factors, female sex (odds ratio (OR) 1.32, 95% CI 1.14–1.52), third-level education (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.51–2.27), higher rates of GP visits, private health insurance (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.07–1.56), higher number of medications, loneliness, and respiratory condition diagnosis (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.14–1.74) were associated with higher likelihood of utilising pharmacy services. The relationship between these factors and requesting medicines advice was similar.

Conclusion

A high proportion of middle-aged and older adults visit community pharmacy and a fifth utilise specified pharmacy services. Despite advances in the services offered in pharmacies, medicines advice remains at the core of pharmacists' practice.

Funding

Health Research Board (grant number ILP-HSR-2019-006)

Atlantic Philanthropies

Department of Health

Health Research Board

Irish Life

History

Comments

The original article is available at https://www.medrxiv.org/ Published version is available in Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy doi: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2023.100265 and RCSI Repository at https://hdl.handle.net/10779/rcsi.22778705.v1

Published Citation

Murry LT, Flood M, Holton A, Kenny RA, Moriarty F. Use of pharmacy services in community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults; findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). medRxiv 2023.03.16.23287349

Publication Date

17 March 2023

PubMed ID

7181502

Department/Unit

  • School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences

Publisher

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Version

  • Submitted Version (Preprint)