Korean Pharmacists Preparing for Aging Society

Journalist | Yoonah Jung | nyoonah@yonsei.ac.kr

Designer | Youngseo Park | selly4577@yonsei.ac.kr

Changes in Korea’s Population

Korea is currently entering a super-aged society where aging is accelerating. The proportion of the population aged 65 or older was 17.5% in 2022, which is the highest among OECD countries. This aging trend is bringing about demand in the health and welfare sectors, and as a result, new measures and professional roles are needed in areas such as health care, pharmacy, and health.

Why are Pharmacists Needed for the Elderly?

The reason why older people need pharmacists is that older people often take multiple drugs. In this case, the probability of interaction problems between drugs increases. Pharmacists have professional knowledge and experience in taking multiple drugs, so they can help patients take drugs correctly and minimize risks such as side effects and allergies.

The second reason is that elderly people often have chronic diseases or health conditions. For this reason, the history of drugs taken varies in each individual. Pharmacists need to provide patients with personalized drug management to improve patient’s understanding of drugs and support their healthy lives.

Certified Senior Care Pharmacist

A senior care pharmacist provides expert advice on the use of medications to individuals and older adults, wherever they live. This senior pharmacist system is implemented in 10 countries, including the United States, Colombia, Canada, Australia, and Sweden. In other countries, a certification or license system for senior pharmacists is selected through difficult procedures to provide high-quality clinical services to the elderly and show expertise in drug treatment.

As of April 8, 2023, Korea also introduced a specialized pharmacist system in nine specialized fields (endocrine, elderly, children, cardiovascular, tumor, and critically ill). Passing the professional pharmacist qualification test, completing the mandatory curriculum, and having experience working as a pharmacist (more than 3 years) are needed to be a specialized pharmacist. Based on the cases of other countries, an implementation plan for the establishment and settlement of the elderly pharmacist system in Korea.

Home Medication Service

Home medication Service is a system in which pharmacists visit elderly patients who are exposed to misuse of drugs, and then provide medication guidance and counseling. According to National Insurance Service (Korea) in 2021, elderly patients had a higher rate of taking multiple drugs, which led to a surge in drug costs and a decrease in quality of life due to side effects. Since direct communication with patients and medical personnel is the most effective way to prevent these phenomena, the visiting pharmacist system is in the spotlight.

Bucheon-si Pharmaceutical Association carried out the system to contribute to the expansion of visiting pharmaceuticals. They set up pharmacists who work fewer on pharmacies in workdays, and provided services for seven months. Pharmacists were paid up to 100,000 won per session, and the performance and satisfaction of the elderly were high due to door-to-door counseling and management. The main advantage is the possibility to visit the elderly on a specific date, efficient care, and maintenance of direct communication and improvement with patients. Currently, the wage is lower than that of pharmacists working in pharmacies, so it is hard to activate Home Medication Service in Korea. It is necessary to promote the system to the elderly and guardians, and to secure the number of pharmacists by increasing remuneration.

Community Pharmacy Services

The community pharmacy system is currently actively operated in Japan and Germany. Through by this system, pharmacists manage patient’s drug information and shares this information with local hospitals. A community pharmacy system will bring great help to the elderly who need careful management of drug medication. In addition, in the event of an accident, such as a side effect on the elderly, the institution that can help the elderly the fastest would be the community pharmacy.

The reason why such a system could be only activated in Japan and Germany, is that the fee for community pharmacies’ caring is separately guaranteed in those countries. It is necessary for Korea to benchmark the community pharmacy system as soon as possible and provide institutional support accordingly.

As the aging population is accelerating further, it is urgent to come up with measures against the use of drugs by the elderly. Cases such as senior care pharmacists, home media systems, and community pharmacy systems should be urgently modified to suit the situation in Korea. B