Kitts Nicole K, Reeve Amanda R, Tsu Laura
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Midwestern University College of Pharmacy-Glendale, Glendale, Arizona.
John Peter Smith Hospital, Forth Worth, Texas.
Consult Pharm. 2014 Mar;29(3):179-90. doi: 10.4140/TCP.n.2014.179.
To provide an up-to-date review of current care transitions in elderly heart failure (HF) patients and assess the role of the pharmacist in improving patient care.
A PubMed search of articles in the English language published between 1995 and May 2013 was done using a combination of the following words: discharge counseling, elderly, heart failure, multidisciplinary team, pharmacist, pharmacy, readmission, transition of care.
STUDY SELECTION/DATA EXTRACTION: Relevant original studies, review articles, and guidelines were assessed for current practices in HF transitions of care. References from the above literature were also evaluated for relevance. Articles were selected for inclusion based on relevance to the topic, detailed methods, and clear, comprehensive results.
The incidence of HF is rapidly increasing, and emphasis has been placed on reducing readmissions. Although present practices are primarily nurse-led, pharmacists are in a key position to educate patients through multidisciplinary teams, discharge counseling, and medication reconciliation. Because of concerns about pharmacist provider status and reimbursement, pharmacists should identify areas in their practices where they can intervene and improve patient care to reduce readmissions.
Pharmacists are an integral part of the multidisciplinary team in optimizing care for elderly HF patients to prevent readmissions.
提供老年心力衰竭（HF）患者当前护理过渡的最新综述，并评估药剂师在改善患者护理方面的作用。
使用以下词语组合在PubMed上检索了1995年至2013年5月期间发表的英文文章：出院咨询、老年人、心力衰竭、多学科团队、药剂师、药房、再入院、护理过渡。
研究选择/数据提取：对相关的原始研究、综述文章和指南进行评估，以了解HF护理过渡的当前实践。还对上述文献的参考文献的相关性进行了评估。根据与主题的相关性、详细的方法以及清晰、全面的结果选择纳入文章。
HF的发病率正在迅速上升，并且重点已放在减少再入院上。尽管目前的实践主要由护士主导，但药剂师处于通过多学科团队、出院咨询和药物重整来教育患者的关键位置。由于对药剂师提供者身份和报销的担忧，药剂师应确定其实践中可以进行干预并改善患者护理以减少再入院的领域。
药剂师是多学科团队的重要组成部分，在优化老年HF患者护理以防止再入院方面发挥作用。
