Fundamentals of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy: An Evidence-Based Approach, 2nd Edition

ISBN: 9781585284351
ISBN-10: 1585284351
Copyright: 2015
Edition: 2nd
Editor: Hutchison, Lisa C., Sleeper, Rebecca B.,
Doody's Expert Review    Score: 93
Reviewer: Marissa Cavaretta,  PharmD  (Temple University School of Pharmacy)
Description
This book provides a general overview of the management of the common disease states that afflict the elderly population. This comprehensive review also addresses key areas such as pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes in the elderly that affect drug therapy, as well as social, economic, and ethical challenges to consider before therapy is begun and tools to improve medication management across the continuum of care.
Purpose
The purpose is to focus on the evidence published about the elderly since they are often an underrepresented population in clinical trials and disease state guidelines. The book is designed as a text for pharmacy students and a helpful reference for pharmacists. It is not written to teach the basics of pharmacology or pharmacotherapy, rather it focuses on challenges and other considerations in geriatric patients. Often, practitioners treat the elderly the same as their younger patients and this book sheds lights on the fundamental differences between the old and young and details the reasons for differences.
Audience
It is intended for pharmacy students and pharmacists and it is a good reference for those who are not specialists in geriatrics. It is too general for geriatric practitioners, but they do not appear to be the intended audience. Many of the authors are leaders or specialists in geriatrics.
Features
The book covers two major areas of geriatric care: issues in aging and pharmacological treatment. The first section is an overview of geriatric challenges and principles for prescribing, with an emphasis on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes in aging, strategies to improve medication management and reduce polypharmacy, and adverse drug events and considerations for improving hospice and palliative care. The second part of the book focuses on treatments for common disease states and reviews areas such as cardiovascular care, infectious diseases, CNS disorders, and psychiatric illnesses. Drug tables throughout the book simplify the clinical pearls of each treatment. The treatment algorithms are easy to follow and illustrated well. Patient cases help readers apply the information and the book is well referenced. The main differentiator of this book is the information in the first section. It is difficult to teach the principles of prescribing and social, behavioral, and ethical issues in the classroom, and often these topics are overlooked altogether in the therapeutics curriculum. The authors provide an excellent review of these topics.
Assessment
This book is quite comprehensive. I would use it in the classroom and would recommend it to pharmacy residents, medical students/residents, and pharmacists to expand their knowledge in geriatrics. This edition contains updated therapeutic guidelines and references, covers more disease states, and adds topics such as hospice and palliative care. A similar book, Geriatric Pharmacotherapy: A Guide for the Helping Professional, Olsen et al. (American Pharmacists Association, 2007) covers many of these same topics but is largely outdated. Another, Pharmacy Practice in an Aging Society, Wick (The Haworth Press, 2006), addresses in detail many of the topics in first section of this book, but does not review pharmacological treatment. Other references focus on solely on disease states such as Alzheimer's disease and psychiatric disorders, but few include all the information this book does.
Review Questionnaire
Range Question Score
1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 10
1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 10
1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5
1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5
1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 4
1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 4
1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 3
1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. N/A
1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. N/A
1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5
1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 5
1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 5
1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 5
1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book N/A
1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 10
1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? 8