What is the role of the community pharmacist in the prevention of protein-energy undernutrition among community-dwelling older adults ?

Protein-energy undernutrition is a serious and frequent condition observed among elderly patients. It leads to an increased risk of morbidity, mortality, weaker immunity function, prolonged hospitalizations, as well as a general decrease in quality of life. And despite its numerous significant negative outcomes, protein-energy undernutrition remains a largely underrecognized and underdiagnosed issue in the health care community. Therewithal, in a currently aging population, its prevention is of key importance and can prove to be a far more simplistic cost-effective approach. The community pharmacist’s proximity to community-dwelling older adults makes them an excellent candidate for implementing prevention. Yet their role in this issue has been very little studied. Therefore, the overall aim was to develop the role of the community pharmacist in the prevention of protein-energy undernutrition among community-dwelling older adults. Subsequently, this thesis will elaborate on how the major responsibility of the community pharmacist lies mainly in identifying risk factors, screening, guiding patients according to their problems as well as educating them about this condition.