Seniors may be at risk with too many doctors, prescriptions

A study released earlier this fall revealed that the more doctors seniors see, the greater their risk for dangerous drug errors.

An analysis of prescription drug alerts conducted by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. found that the greater the number of physicians seen by a patient over age 65, the greater the number of prescriptions the patient fills, and thus the greater the risk for dangerous drug errors, including drugtodrug interactions, under or overutilization of drugs, duplication of therapies and incorrect dosages.

The findings call into question how well different doctors and specialists caring for patients over 65 exchange information about the medications they are prescribing, and, statistically, it correlates a larger care team with a greater risk for preventable medication errors.

The study found that seniors receiving prescriptions from two

different physicians filled an average of 27 prescriptions in a year and were at risk for 10 potential prescription drug errors. However, when the care team consisted of five doctors, the number of prescriptions filled in one year

jumped to 42, and the number of potential drug errors jumped to 16 (a 60 percent increase).

The best advice is to have a family member or trusted friend accompany a senior citizen to doctors' appointments. That indi

vidual can help schedule appointments and keep all instructions and medications organized.

If family or friends aren't available, consider hiring a caregiver to perform the same function.