Underprescribing of oral anticoagulant therapy in frail, elderly patients: A look into depression, cognitive impairment, and fall risk

My group and I performed a comprehensive literature review that was presented at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting 2017 in Orlando, Florida. The title of our project read Underprescribing of oral anticoagulant therapy in frail, elderly patients: A look into depression, cognitive impairment, and fall risk. The three of us decided to take one section each, and I had the privilege of looking at the effects of cognitive impairment in the section of the geriatric community indicated for oral anticoagulant therapy. I personally found that the benefits of the therapy greatly outweighed the risk of bleeding even in this population and there were many factors that a prescriber must keep in mind with dementia patients. To my group and I’s pleasure, the work was received in a very positive light since this is something that is often overlooked in a clinical setting. Many observers confronted us about how our research can be applied into an inpatient, or even geriatric facility and what specific measures prescribers should look into. During the duration of the conference, we also had the honor of looking at many other student posters in a variety of different therapeutic areas. This conference really helped me look at the benefits of a career in research. I would now be more open to looking into a career in pharmaceutical industry in the beginning phases of drug development. The conference was truly an amazing opportunity, and we thank the Northeastern University Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships for making it a reality.

Conference Travel Fund Blog Post by Rajvi Shah
Candidate for Doctor of Pharmacy ’19