Final answer:
Hospital pharmacy should perform medication reconciliation, assess drug interactions and dosages, and educate the patient. Ensuring the appropriateness of NSAIDs and potential side effects, along with exploring alternative treatments, is crucial for elderly patients to avoid the harmful effects of polypharmacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an elderly patient with rheumatoid arthritis is admitted to the hospital and reports taking over-the-counter (OTC) NSAIDs without remembering the specific medications, the hospital pharmacy should take several steps to manage the situation. First, the pharmacy staff need to conduct a thorough medication reconciliation to identify all the drugs the patient has been taking. This involves asking the patient or family members, checking the patient's medication bottles or pharmacy records, and sometimes consulting with the patient's pharmacist or prescribing physicians.
Given the risks associated with polypharmacy, which is common in elderly adults, the pharmacists must evaluate the patient's entire medication regimen. This includes assessing for potential drug interactions, dosage accuracy, and the appropriateness of each medication for the patient's conditions. Special attention should be given to the potential for NSAID-related side effects, such as gastrointestinal bleeding, elevated blood pressure, and kidney damage, all of which are more likely in elderly patients.
Education is another important step. The patient should be informed about the names and purposes of the medications she is taking, the potential side effects to watch for, and the importance of communicating all OTC drug use to healthcare providers. The hospital staff should also explore alternative treatment strategies that may reduce the reliance on NSAIDs and thus minimize potential adverse effects.