The British Columbia Seniors' Brown Bag Clinic Pilot Project: Medication Problems Identified and Participant Assessments

In Brown Bag Clinics, pharmacists review seniors' medications to identify and correct situations which could lead to drug-related adverse patient events (DRAPEs). Pilot Brown Bag Clinics were held in seven British Columbia communities, 123 clients interacting with 30 pharmacists. On average, each client brought more than nine medications (prescription and non-prescription) for review. Clinic pharmacists identified 482 potential medication problems, and immediately contacted clients' physicians regarding potential medication problems for 39 clients. Rating the Brown Bag Clinics as useful, over 80 per cent of clients expressed interest in participating in future clinics. Clinic pharmacists, supportive of the Brown Bag Clinics, indicated that they were nonetheless unlikely to continue to volunteer their services. Six to 11 months post-clinic clients had forgotten a significant amount of medication information provided at the clinics, suggesting that attendance at future clinics might be necessary.