Gangdong-gu launches home-visit pharmacy service for residents on multiple medications

Seoul's Gangdong-gu announced Friday it will roll out "Gangdong Yakson Care," a tailored medication management service in which pharmacists make home visits to households where residents take multiple medications, as part of efforts to strengthen community-based integrated care.

The district signed an MOU with the Gangdong-gu Pharmacists Association in July to launch the program and began home visits to integrated-care recipients this month. The initiative is a collaboration between the Gangdong-gu Health and Longevity Center and the pharmacists association, aimed at promoting safe medication use and preventing the misuse or overuse of multiple drugs.

The service targets integrated-care recipients who take medications prescribed by multiple medical institutions or have been on several drugs over an extended period. A multidisciplinary team at the Health and Longevity Center collects information on each recipient's medications in advance and shares it with participating pharmacists, who then visit the home to review the drugs and provide personalized counseling. Follow-up phone consultations are conducted as needed to monitor whether recipients are taking their medications correctly, with additional support provided through links to health and care services.

Meanwhile, the district is also running a supplementary temporary home-care support project through December for residents who struggle with daily life due to illness or need help with housekeeping and caregiving after being discharged from a hospital.

"Following last month's agreement with the pharmacists association, I hope the home-visit medication management service that began this month will provide real help in ensuring safe drug use and improving the health of vulnerable residents," Gangdong-gu District Mayor Lee Su-hee said.