@article {9200, title = {Characteristics of older adults who consume alcohol while on antidepressants}, journal = {The Consultant Pharmacist}, volume = {32}, year = {2017}, month = {Jan-07-2017}, pages = {415-422}, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Determine the characteristics of older Americans who self-report consuming alcohol and taking at least one antidepressant. DESIGN: This study utilized cross-sectional analyses. SETTING: The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study and its subsurvey Prescription Drug Study (PDS). PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Those who reported taking at least one antidepressant prescription medication, were 65 years of age or older, and were enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid between 2002 and 2004. INTERVENTIONS: Chi-square tests were conducted between demographic groups and alcohol consumption variables. Relationships between antidepressant quantity and behaviors of those consuming alcohol while taking antidepressants were also addressed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographics, alcohol consumption, number of antidepressants, psychiatric problem status, and alcohol behaviors. RESULTS: There were 412 subjects from the 2007 PDS (N = 3,536) who self-reported taking at least one antidepressant prescription medication. A total of 102 (24.8\%) of the 412 subjects taking antidepressants reported using alcohol. Ethnicity, education level attained, and geographic region all showed a statistical difference between alcohol drinkers and nondrinkers. Most subjects were only on one antidepressant medication. Also, none of the subjects felt they needed to cut down on their drinking though they also did not feel annoyed by criticism from others about their drinking habits. CONCLUSION: This study showed that 24.8\% of older Americans in the community were consuming some amount of alcohol while on antidepressants. These results show that there is an opportunity for consultant pharmacists to educate older American adults about the safety concerns with alcohol consumption and antidepressant use.}, keywords = {Alcohol Consumption, Depressive symptoms, Prescription Medication}, issn = {0888-5109}, doi = {10.4140/TCP.n.2017.415}, url = {http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/10.4140/TCP.n.2017.415}, author = {Ulrich, Erin E. and Vonderhaar, Jacqueline and Tenhouse, Allison} } @article {8859, title = {Quantifying the relationship between patient characteristics and involvement in developing and implementing a treatment plan}, journal = {Drug, Healthcare and Patient Safety}, volume = {Volume 9}, year = {2017}, month = {Jan-01-2017}, pages = {1 - 8}, abstract = {Objective: Improving the patient-physician relationship through patient involvement in the care may lead to improved patient safety and better health outcomes. There exists a gap in knowledge in identifying factors that affect self-reported patient involvement in individualized treatment plans. The objectives of this study were to 1) describe patients{\textquoteright} perceptions of their involvement in the creation and implementation of their treatment plans and 2) determine if patient involvement varied by medical condition or demographic characteristics. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of data from the {\textquotedblleft}Quality of Care{\textquotedblright} module of the 2008 Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The individuals of HRS surveys were older than 50 years. One-way analyses of variance were conducted to determine differences between patient characteristics and involvement in creating a treatment plan. A linear regression was conducted to determine predictors of the summed involvement score. Results: Average summed scores for each domain (shared decision-making, counseling, and follow-up) and overall involvement scores were ~50\%. Linear regression showed that being non-White, older age, and diagnosed with a psychiatric condition or diabetes were predictors of increased self-reported involvement in the development and communication of a patient{\textquoteright}s treatment plan. Conclusion: Age, race, and having diabetes or a psychiatric condition were the major predictors affecting patient involvement in care, although overall involvement in care was low for all groups. Practice implications: Patient involvement in care was lower than expected and should be further studied to determine the effects of involvement on health outcomes.}, keywords = {Health Conditions and Status, Older Adults, Patient-physician Relationship, Quality of care}, doi = {10.2147/DHPS10.2147/DHPS.S107065}, url = {https://www.dovepress.com/quantifying-the-relationship-between-patient-characteristics-and-invol-peer-reviewed-article-DHPS}, author = {Roy, Natalie T. and Ulrich, Erin E.} }