Driving research into how medications impact older people with heart failure
The work of one of our up-and-coming researchers within the Kolling Institute’s Ageing and Pharmacology Lab is gaining recognition, with two prestigious awards announced in 2023.
Dr Rebecca Kozor, Mai Duong, Dr Lisa Kouladjian O’Donnell and Professor Sarah Hilmer
Pharmacist and PhD student Mai Duong received the first award at the International Pharmaceutical
“We know that heart failure is becoming more common in the ageing population, leading to frequent hospital visits and loss of life,” she said. “Patients report that the big problem for them is the number of medications they’re on and the possible interactions. “We are seeing that some medications for heart failure can cause falls, dizziness, renal impairment and other adverse events. “We know that optimising heart failure medication can be complex, but we hope that following our research, there will be a greater focus on frailty and quality of life when these medications are prescribed. “We found that clinicians recognised that frailty status was important, but it was not routinely measured or included in medication management plans. “Backed by our research, we would like to see frailty measures considered when prescribing these medications, so that clinicians can tailor their approach for each patient for the best outcome.”
Federation World Congress in Brisbane. She was awarded the APSA (Australasian
Pharmaceutical Science Association) Outstanding Oral Presentation in Pharmacy Practice prize for her discussion on the different perspectives of adverse drug events associated with heart failure medications in frail, older people. Mai also received an award for her presentation at the Cardiovascular Symposium hosted by the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists. She said her research had greatly benefitted from a new collaboration within the Kolling Institute involving researchers from the Ageing and Pharmacology Lab, including Professor Sarah Hilmer and Dr Lisa Kouladjian O’Donnell and cardiologist Associate Professor Rebecca Kozor. Her work highlights the contrasting consumer and clinician views on clinical outcomes, patient priorities and medication management of frail older people with heart failure.
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