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“Don’t forget to take your medicine!” Improving the use of medicine by elderly patients in the region of Madrid

Learning points

  • The delivery of this specific health programme requires close partnership working between different health professionals, including GPs, pharmacists, nurses and health visitors.

  • The personalisation of medication schemes is one of the pillars of this programme. Each medicine has to be reviewed with regard to its effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness, in order that the most suitable medicines are chosen for each patient. In the case of elderly patients, issues of safety are of particular importance when using multiple medicines. Particular attention has had to be paid to avoiding the use of medications considered to be unsuitable for elderly patients.

  • The co-design of personalised medication schemes between health professionals and patients requires that health professionals are trained ‘to put themselves into the shoes of patients’ and to take into account the personal context and wider social network of patients.  

About this case study
Main Contact

Encarnación Cruz Martos
Subdirectora de C. de Farmacia y P.S.
D.G. de Gestión Económica y de Compras de Productos Sanitarios y Farmacéuticos
Servicio Madrileño de Salud. Consejería de Sanidad

Email: encarna.cruz@salud.madrid.org

Phone: 00 34 91 426 9917/9902


Fernando Gil and Salvador Parrado wrote this case study for Governance International on 28 August 2012.

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