A new study says proper medication reviews performed by pharmacists and general practitioners can be a big help in improving the use of medicines.

Researchers have found that clinical medication reviews (CMRs) often result in identification of medication-related problems, improved medication adherence and reduced hospitalisations.

A new review titled ‘Clinical medication review in Australia: a systematic review’ has demonstrated the value of medication review models that incorporate inter-professional collaboration.

“This review is landmark in that it provides an overview of the research to date and describes the clinical, humanistic, economic and qualitative benefits of medication reviews,” Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) president Joe Demarte says.

“Our research showed that clinical medication reviews are capable of improving the quality use of medicines in older Australians,” says Monash University researcher Associate Professor Simon Bell.

“This is an important finding because up to 30 per cent of unplanned hospital admissions among people aged 75 years and older are medicines related.”

The review identified a lack of awareness of CMRs among eligible non-recipients, including people from indigenous and linguistically diverse communities, recipients of palliative care, people with poor medication adherence and those in rural and remote areas.

Addressing these “access gaps” represents an opportunity to further improve the current model for CMRs in Australia, according to the review.

The full report is accessible here.