Annals of Medicine

Worldwide, people are living longer, and the global population is aging rapidly. According to the estimation by the World Health Organization, one in six people globally will be aged 60 years or older by 2030, and over 425 million people will be aged 80 years or older by 2050.

Aging challenges pharmacotherapy in many ways. In particular, most older adults experience multimorbidity, leading to use of multiple medications. Complex health conditions and polypharmacy could contribute to a myriad of issues including medication-related problems, higher utilization of healthcare systems, and higher costs, especially in older people with cognitive impairment. It is widely known that medications as well as medication misuse and nonadherence can contribute to cognitive and functional decline and lead to emergency department visits and hospitalizations in older patients. However, medication-related issues underlying increased healthcare use and adverse outcomes, such as falls, often remain unrecognized.

Research findings suggest that interprofessional team-based care including pharmacists improve medication use and safety and health outcomes in older adults. Electronic tools guiding prescribing practices are increasingly available. Innovative strategies including pharmacogenomics and technology advances may enhance medication use and patient-oriented outcomes also.

The aim of this Article Collection is to present original manuscripts and reviews related to geriatric pharmacotherapy and medication management. We hope to attract healthcare professionals who may not be familiar with geriatrics journals and find this Article Collection useful for their clinical work and research.

All areas of pharmacotherapy may be covered through research approaches at preclinical, translational, or clinical level. The emphasis, however, is in topics that interprofessional providers, including physicians and other healthcare workers, who may not be trained in geriatrics, should be aware of when dealing with medications for older adults. We especially welcome articles that help describe solutions for the identified challenges, such as interprofessional teams and decision-aid systems.

Some examples (but not limited to) of specific pharmacotherapy and medication management subtopics include:

• Evidence-based polypharmacy management
• Evidence on medication review and deprescribing in older adults
• Interprofessional team-based care in geriatrics
• Roles of pharmacists in identifying and resolving drug-related problems
• Pharmacogenetics in aging and geriatrics
• Technology innovations in geriatric pharmacotherapy
• Clinical tools for geriatric pharmacotherapy and medication management
• Mechanisms of adverse drug effects that lead to health-system use
• Medication adherence issues and interventions for older adults
• Inclusive communication strategies for geriatric medication assessment and management
• Sleep medication use among older adults
• Pain management for older adults with dementia
• Cardiovascular disease (e.g., hypertension, diabetes) management in older adults with dementia (e.g., treatment target and medication-related problems)
• Adverse drug events associated with dementia medications
• Medication self-management and related risks in persons with dementia (e.g., nonadherence; difficulties with the use of insulin pens, inhalators, etc.)

Annals of Medicine accepts the following types of articles:

• Research Article (systematic/meta-analysis reviews and observational studies)
• Review Article
• Clinical Trials
• Protocols
• Case Series
• Commentary

Dr. Esa Jämsen is Professor of Geriatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland, and chief geriatrician at Helsinki University Hospital. Jämsen has a specialist degree in geriatric medicine and his clinical background is in acute geriatrics and in co-operation with other medical specialties, especially with surgeons, aiding the interprofessional care of acutely ill or injured older people. His research interests cover acute geriatric care, outcomes of surgery in older people, and geriatric pharmacotherapy. Dr. Jämsen is the editor of the section of Geriatrics of the Annals of Medicine.

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/people/people-finder/esa-jamsen-9412012

Dr. Jeannie Lee is Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice & Science and Assistant Dean of Student Services at the University of Arizona (UArizona) R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, USA. She is also Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatrics, General Internal Medicine & Palliative Medicine at the UArizona College of Medicine, and research associate and faculty in the Arizona Center on Aging. Dr. Lee has board certifications in pharmacotherapy and geriatric pharmacy and is a Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). She has practiced interprofessionally in geriatrics for over 23 years and serves on the UArizona Health Sciences Innovations in Healthy Aging Working Team and Innovations in Aging Graduate Interdisciplinary Program Executive Committee. Dr. Lee’s research areas include aging, hypertension, medication adherence, and interprofessional collaborative practice.

Disclosure Statement: Dr. Jämsen and Dr. Lee declare no conflicts of interest regarding this work.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is August 13, 2023.

Annals of Medicine is an online, open access, international journal publishing across all areas of medicine and is part of our Elevate Series. This means that you will receive a concierge-level publishing experience, including dedicated support from our expert in-house Editorial team, with guaranteed response times of within 48 hours, an initial decision on whether your article will be peer reviewed within 5 working days, and a first decision on your research within an average of 22 working days.

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member). Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is August 13, 2023.

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article