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To begin your preparation in an informed
and organized manner, you should know what to expect from the actual
examination in terms of the content. The content outline will
give you a general impression of the examination and can give you
specific study direction by revealing the relative importance given
to each category on the examination.
Patient Specific
Activities (35%)
A. Collect and Evaluate Patient-Specific
Information (21%)
- Interpret and apply knowledge
of the following to the provision of pharmaceutical care
for older adults:
- Incidence of disease, comorbidity,
and disability
- Patterns of medication
use
- Causes of morbidity and
mortality
- Assess and apply understanding
of the following issues to the provision of pharmaceutical
care for older adults:
- Continuum of care
- Wellness and health promotion
- Loss of independence
- End of life issues (advance
directives, treatment issues, quality of life choices)
- Ethical issues
- Evaluate the social aspects of
aging in the provision of pharmaceutical care for older adults
related to the following:
- Economic Issues
- Availability of community-based
services (referrals and triage)
- isolation
- losses
- role of caregiver
- Communicate with elderly patients,
their caregivers and healthcare professionals:
- recognize communication
barriers including age-related sensory and cognitive
impairments, illiteracy, and language and cultural
differences
- apply strategies to overcome
communication barriers
- apply privacy and confidentiality
principles
- ensure patient understanding
of prescribed therapy
- Evaluate physiological changes
that accompany aging (e.g., sensory, body composition, organ
system function)
- Interpret and monitor laboratory
results and procedures for the older patient
- Evaluate and apply results of
standardized assessment tools (MMSE, GDS, etc.)
- Recognize and assess altered
disease state presentations in the elderly
- Recognize and assess altered
psychological status in the elderly
- Identify and assess compliance/adherence
issues affecting potential treatment plans (e.g., memory
loss, sensory changes, hearing, cognition, patient beliefs,
economics, and learning disabilities)
- Obtain an accurate drug history
including over-the-counter and alternative/complementary
medications
- Obtain and/or evaluate relevant
physical assessment information
- Apply principles of pharmacokinetic
and pharmacodynamic changes associated with aging to the
design of the pharmacotherapy regimen
B. Identify, Resolve and Prevent
Medication Therapy-Related Problems (31%)
- Untreated or under-treated conditions
- Improper drug selection
- Subtherapeutic or Supratherapeutic
dosage
- Compliance/ahderence issues:
- monitor patient’s
compliance/adherence with medications and apply strategies
to educate the patient and/or caregiver, and encourage
compliance/adherence with therapy
- promote elder-appropriate
drug labeling and packaging
- Adverse drug reactions
- Drug interactions
- Drug use without indication
- Treatment failures
C. Determine Patient’s
Pharmaceutical and Related Health Care Needs and Integrate
into Care Plan (6%)
D. Select Drug Therapy Goals
Which Focus on Function and Quality of Life (6%)
E. Design and Implement a
Therapeutic Regimen in Collaboration with the Patient and Other
Health Care Professionals (13%)
- Apply concept of risk: benefit
for each drug
- Recommend non-prescription drugs
- Educate patient on therapy options
- generics, alternative therapies, non-drug therapies, formulary
options, etc.
- Educate patient on medication-related
problems (e.g., side effects of medication, drug interactions)
- Recognize need for referral
to specialized healthcare provider for further evaluation/treatment
F. Patient Monitoring Plan
(23%)
- Design plan to monitor for safety,
effectiveness, and achievement of therapeutic goals
- Implement plan
- Evaluate its effects on qualify
of life issues
- Document steps and outcomes of
pharmaceutical care plan
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