[Drug supply and patient safety in long-term care facilities for the elderly].

Nursing home residents are a continuously growing population with a need for intense pharmacotherapy due to numerous comorbid conditions. Polypharmacy and the frequent use of psychotropic medication increase the risk of adverse drug events, which may result in risk of increased morbidity and mortality in frail, elderly patients. The requirement to solve individual therapeutic problems has to be supported by not only an adequate and need-based pharmaceutical supply but also by suitable organizational and logistic solutions. In the nursing home environment, ineffective communication between the various professional groups involved in medical treatment may lead to inappropriate or unintentional medication use. In the present survey, data and research results that are relevant to assess the medical treatment situation in long-term care facilities particularly with regard to the safety of pharmacotherapy are presented. The two problem areas of patient-customized therapy and the handling of pharmaceuticals in the context of institutional care are addressed separately.