With accelerating population aging, the safety of oral medication among older patients with chronic diseases after hospital discharge has become a major public health challenge. Age-related physiological decline, polypharmacy, and limited health literacy—coupled with inadequate professional guidance and insufficient social support—collectively expose this population to a heightened risk of medication errors, drug-drug interactions, and poor adherence. This review synthesizes recent evidence on risk factors and emerging management strategies. At the patient level, standardized nursing protocols and stratified management models (e.g., red-yellow-green risk classification) have been introduced to improve adherence. At the institutional level, multidisci plinary collaboration has been leveraged to optimize prescribing and medication counseling. At the societal level, community-based and family-supported care models are being promoted to strengthen continuity of medication management. However, heterogeneous effects of standardized interventions, gaps in primary-care services, and limited technological capacity continue to constrain real-world implementation. Strengthening pharmacist-led services at the primary-care level, establishing an integrated “home-community-hospital” coordination network, and enhancing policy support may help bridge current practice gaps and provide an evidence-based foundation for longitudinal management of older adults with chronic diseases.
References
[1]
Mathews, C. (2024) Population Ageing in Lower and Middle-Income Countries. Journal of Population Ageing, 17, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-024-09447-8
[2]
Gianfredi, V., Nucci, D., Pennisi, F., Maggi, S., Veronese, N. and Soysal, P. (2025) Aging, Longevity, and Healthy Aging: The Public Health Approach. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 37, Article No. 125. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-025-03021-8
[3]
Noto, S. (2023) Perspectives on Aging and Quality of Life. Healthcare (Basel), 11, Article 2131.
[4]
Liu, Y.Z., Xu, C., Wang, X.Y., et al. (2023) Activities of Daily Living, Mental Health Status and Influencing Factors among Older Adults with Chronic Diseases in Shandong Province. Medicine and Society, 36, 139-144.
[5]
Li, Y.T., Wang, H.H. and Li, F. (2023) Predictive Value of Quadriceps Muscle Thickness in Elderly Sepsis Survivors for Unplanned Readmission. Nursing Research, 37, 2311-2316.
[6]
Steinman, M.A., Seth Landefeld, C., Rosenthal, G.E., Berthenthal, D., Sen, S. and Kaboli, P.J. (2006) Polypharmacy and Prescribing Quality in Older People. JournaloftheAmericanGeriatricsSociety, 54, 1516-1523. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00889.x
[7]
Zou, Y., Feng, G.M., Wu, S.H., Liu, R.J., Sun, L. and Yu, Y.W. (2022) Medication Safety in Elderly Patients with Chronic Diseases. Chinese Journal of Research Hospitals, 9, 61-64.
[8]
Wu, J. and Fu, Y. (2016) Clinical Analysis of Adverse Drug Reactions and Medication Safety in Older Adults. Clinical Rational Drug Use, 12, Article 92.
[9]
Félix, I.B. and Henriques, A. (2021) Medication Adherence and Related Determinants in Older People with Multimorbidity: A Cross‐Sectional Study. NursingForum, 56, 834-843. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12619
[10]
Wu, X.L. (2018) The Necessity of Rational Medication Management in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. China Health Industry, 13, 38-39.
[11]
Muangpaisan, W., Pisalsalakij, D., Intalapaporn, S. and Chatthanawaree, W. (2014) Medication Nonadherence in Elderly Patients in a Thai Geriatric Clinic. AsianBiomedicine, 8, 541-545. https://doi.org/10.5372/1905-7415.0804.325
[12]
Sino, C.G., Sietzema, M., Egberts, T.C., et al. (2014) Medication-Management Capacity in Relation to Cognition and Self-Management Skills in Older Adults Receiving polypharmacy. Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, 18, 44-49.
[13]
Lou, M.J. and Zhu, Y.P. (2012) Survey on the Status of Safe Medication Use among Older Adults in Yaojiang Community, Ningbo (2010-2011). Chinese Rural Medicine, 19, 41-42.
[14]
Yang, X., Zhang, H.C., Li, Y., et al. (2022) Status and Influencing Factors of Medication Safety in Older Adults with Chronic Diseases. Health Vocational Education, 40, 133-135.
[15]
Jiang, Y. and Liu, W.H. (2017) Perceptions, Attitudes and Self-Efficacy Regarding Safe Medication Use among Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Journal of Nursing, 32, 80-83.
[16]
Guo, Z.G., Wang, H., Lv, J.H., et al. (2019) A Comparative Study of Safe Medication Use in Older Adults in China and abroad. Journal of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, 35, 185-187+192.
[17]
Qian, Q.K. (2009) Clinical Analysis of Psychotropic Drug Use in 102 Hospitalized Geriatric Psychiatric Patients. Sichuan Mental Health, 22, 230-232.
[18]
Setter, S.M., Corbett, C.F., Neumiller, J.J., et al. (2009) Effectiveness of a Pharmacist-Nurse Intervention on Resolving Medication Discrepancies during Transitions from Hospital to Home Health Care. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 66, 2027-2031.
[19]
Shi, Y., Reker, D., Byrne, J.D., Kirtane, A.R., Hess, K., Wang, Z., et al. (2024) Screening Oral Drugs for Interactions with the Intestinal Transportome via Porcine Tissue Explants and Machine Learning. NatureBiomedicalEngineering, 8, 278-290. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-023-01128-9
[20]
Tang, Z.H. (2018) A Comparative Study of Medication Inappropriateness between Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living Alone and Those Living with Family. Zhejiang University.
[21]
Yuan, Q., Pu, C.H., Li, B., et al. (2024) Current Status of Community-Pharmacy Services in China and Potential Solutions. China Pharmacoeconomics, 19, 103-107.
[22]
Xiao, N. and Wang, J.W. (2016) Integrating Internet-Based Big Data into Chronic-Disease Management: Reflections from Pharmacy Practice. China Pharmacy, 27, 3158-3160.
[23]
Sun, C., Xi, H. and Hu, H.X. (2020) Research Progress on the Implementation of Discharge Planning Services in Older Patients. Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing, 26, 4437-4442.
[24]
Yang, Y.Y. and Zhang, Y.Z. (2025) Application Progress of the Re-Engineered Discharge (RED) Program Model in Transitional Care for Patients with Diabetes. Advances in Clinical Medicine, 15, 99-105.
[25]
Zhang, X.L. (2019) Strategies for Strengthening Oral-Medication Safety among Older Medical Inpatients. Everyone’sHealth, 10, Article 209.
[26]
Shen, J., Gao, N.Z., Zheng, S.B., et al. (2024) Chinese Expert Consensus on the Assessment and Management of Polypharmacy in Older Adults (2024). Chinese Journal of Geriatrics, 43, 269-278.
[27]
Chen, Z.L., Liu, L., He, C.Z., et al. (2018) Evaluation of Hypertension-Related Mobile-Health Applications and Their Self-Management Functions. Chinese General Practice, 21, 2348-2352.
[28]
Jiang, X.L. (2023) Application of an “Internet+” Transitional Rehabilitation Platform in Older Adults with Chronic Diseases. Chinese Community Physician, 39, 89-91.
[29]
Redmond, P., Carroll, H., Grimes, T., et al. (2016) General Practitioners’ and Community Pharmacists’ Views on Medication Management during Care Transitions in Ireland. Family Practice, 33, 172-178.
[30]
Aires-Moreno, G.T., Silvestre, C.C., Araújo, D.C.S.A., Matos, V.T.G., Marcon de Oliveira, V., Ferreira, C.M., et al. (2020) Perceptions of Nurses, Pharmacists and Physicians about Medication Reconciliation: A Multicenter Study. SaudiPharmaceuticalJournal, 28, 1435-1439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2020.09.009
[31]
Wang, X.L. and Chen, J. (2017) Status and Influencing Factors of Household Medication Safety among Older Adults. Science & Technology Vision, 28, 188-189.