. "3 CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS." Pharmacokinetics and Drug Interactions in the Elderly and Special Issues in Elderly African-American Populations: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 1997.
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Pharmacokinetics and Drug Interactions in the Elderly and Special Issues in Elderly African-American Populations: Workshop Summary
BOX 3.1: Major Conclusions and Future Directions
Research
Develop an integrated approach to researching the effects of aging on multiple organ systems
Develop more sophisticated pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models of multiple drug regimens and multiple drug interactions
Examine the social and psychological aspects of medication use in the elderly
Implement longitudinal studies of chronic use of medications by older persons
Develop research databases that link health outcomes and prescription medication information, explore the feasibility of a national data resource
Develop mechanisms for effectively disseminating drug-related information to health professionals and to elderly patients
Recruitment into Clinical Trials
Include the older and frailer segments of the elderly population in clinical trials
Expand recruitment of elderly minority populations into clinical trials
Capacity Building
Recruit young health professionals into geriatric pharmacology and clinical therapeutics research
Provide continuity of funding for young investigators
Implement incentives to retain mid-career professionals
Develop programs to retrain mid-career professionals in research methodologies and geriatrics
The following list highlights specific areas of research that would add to the body of knowledge and clarify our understanding of the aging process especially with regard to improving pharmacotherapy. This list is by no means comprehensive, as numerous research avenues could yield important information on the impact of pharmacotherapy and drug interactions in the elderly. Areas for future research include the impact of aging, gender, genetics, and ethnicity on physiology and metabolic processes. Specifically,
age-related changes in cellular transport mechanisms and extrahepatic metabolism and transport including the activity of different enzyme isoforms;
biomarkers of drug exposure;
mechanisms that cause variable responses to medications in aging racial and ethnic populations;
