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Kuo HL, Chou YC, Chang WN, Chang KV, Chan DCD. Effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment in frail older inpatients. J Formos Med Assoc 2025:S0929-6646(25)00211-6. [PMID: 40335426 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2025.04.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2025] [Revised: 04/06/2025] [Accepted: 04/30/2025] [Indexed: 05/09/2025] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence regarding the effects of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) on frail older inpatients is inconclusive. Moreover, various prior studies lacked proper patient selection using frailty assessment tools. Our review aimed to assess whether objectively identifying frail patients in clinical settings using a frailty tool and intervening with CGA provides clinical benefits in frail older inpatients. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted by searching PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (January 1998-October 2022). Keywords included frailty, hospitalization, and CGA. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials involving patients aged ≥65 years, with frailty defined by specific tools. The primary outcome was mortality; secondary outcomes included activities of daily living, quality of life, pain, patient satisfaction, polypharmacy, antidepressant use, post-discharge disposition, rehospitalization, and cost-effectiveness. RESULTS Of 2587 articles, 18 met inclusion criteria (2724 participants). Meta-analysis of five studies showed no significant differences in overall mortality for frail inpatients receiving CGA. However, CGA reduced mortality during follow-ups of ≤6 months. CGA also improved health-related quality of life, patient satisfaction, and activities of daily living, while reducing polypharmacy and modifying antidepressant use. CONCLUSIONS CGA did not significantly reduce overall mortality in frail older inpatients compared to usual care but lowered mortality rates at the 6-month follow-up. CGA also improved quality of life, daily functioning, and medication management, underscoring its value for managing frail older inpatients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Ling Kuo
- Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Cathay General Hospital, No. 280, Sec. 4, Ren Ai Rd., Da An Dist., Taipei City, 106438, Taiwan; Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No.7, Chung Shan South Road, Taipei, 100, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chun Chou
- Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No.7, Chung Shan South Road, Taipei, 100, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No.1, Jen Ai Road Section 1, Taipei, 100, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Nin Chang
- Department of Medical Education, National Taiwan University Hospital, No.7, Chung Shan South Road, Taipei, 100, Taiwan
| | - Ke-Vin Chang
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No.7, Chung Shan South Road, Taipei, 100, Taiwan; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Bei-Hu Branch, No. 87, Neijiang St., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City, 108206, Taiwan; Center for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Wang-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, No. 111, Sec. 3, Xinglong Rd., Wenshan Dist., Taipei City, 106077, Taiwan.
| | - Ding-Cheng Derrick Chan
- Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No.7, Chung Shan South Road, Taipei, 100, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, No.7, Chung Shan South Road, Taipei, 100, Taiwan; Superintendent Office, National Taiwan University Hospital, Bei-Hu Branch, Taiwan.
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Kosirova S, Urbankova J, Klimas J, Foltanova T. Assessment of potentially inappropriate medication use among geriatric outpatients in the Slovak Republic. BMC Geriatr 2023; 23:567. [PMID: 37715169 PMCID: PMC10504736 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-023-04260-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use is a highly prevalent problem among older people, making it challenging to improve patient safety. The aim of this study was to assess the use of PIMs among geriatric outpatients (OUTs) in the Slovak Republic according to the EU(7) PIM list and to identify the differences in PIM prescriptions among general practitioners (GPs), internists (INTs) and geriatricians (GERs). METHODS In total, 449 patients (65 years and older) from 4 medical centres who were in the care of GPs (32.5%), INTs (22.7%) or GERs (44.8%) were included in this retrospective analysis. Data were collected from 1.12.2019-31.3.2020. PIMs were identified according to the EU(7) PIM list from patients' records. PIM prescriptions by GPs, INTs and GERs were assessed. All obtained data were statistically analysed. RESULTS Polypharmacy (68.8% of patients), and PIM use (73% of patients) were observed. The mean number of all prescribed drugs was 6.7 ± 0.2 drugs per day/patient. The mean number of prescribed PIMs was 1.7 ± 0.1 PIMs per day/patient. Drugs from Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classes C, N and A accounted for the greatest number of PIMs. Significantly higher numbers of prescribed drugs as well as PIMs were prescribed by GPs than INTs or GERs. There were 4.2 times higher odds of being prescribed PIMs by GPs than by GERs (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Polypharmacy and overprescription of PIMs were identified among geriatric patients in our study. We found a positive relationship between the number of prescribed drugs and PIMs. The lowest odds of being prescribed PIMs were observed among those who were in the care of a geriatrician. The absence of geriatricians and lack of information about PIMs among general practitioners leads to high rates of polypharmacy and overuse of potentially inappropriate medications in geriatric patients in the Slovak Republic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislava Kosirova
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojarov 10, Bratislava, 83104, Slovak Republic
| | - Jana Urbankova
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojarov 10, Bratislava, 83104, Slovak Republic
| | - Jan Klimas
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojarov 10, Bratislava, 83104, Slovak Republic
| | - Tatiana Foltanova
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojarov 10, Bratislava, 83104, Slovak Republic.
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Bülow C, Clausen SS, Lundh A, Christensen M. Medication review in hospitalised patients to reduce morbidity and mortality. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023; 1:CD008986. [PMID: 36688482 PMCID: PMC9869657 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd008986.pub4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A medication review can be defined as a structured evaluation of a patient's medication conducted by healthcare professionals with the aim of optimising medication use and improving health outcomes. Optimising medication therapy though medication reviews may benefit hospitalised patients. OBJECTIVES We examined the effects of medication review interventions in hospitalised adult patients compared to standard care or to other types of medication reviews on all-cause mortality, hospital readmissions, emergency department contacts and health-related quality of life. SEARCH METHODS In this Cochrane Review update, we searched for new published and unpublished trials using the following electronic databases from 1 January 2014 to 17 January 2022 without language restrictions: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). To identify additional trials, we searched the reference lists of included trials and other publications by lead trial authors, and contacted experts. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomised trials of medication reviews delivered by healthcare professionals for hospitalised adult patients. We excluded trials including outpatients and paediatric patients. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently selected trials, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We contacted trial authors for data clarification and relevant unpublished data. We calculated risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous data and mean differences (MDs) or standardised mean differences (SMDs) for continuous data (with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)). We used the GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach to assess the overall certainty of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS In this updated review, we included a total of 25 trials (15,076 participants), of which 15 were new trials (11,501 participants). Follow-up ranged from 1 to 20 months. We found that medication reviews in hospitalised adults may have little to no effect on mortality (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.05; 18 trials, 10,108 participants; low-certainty evidence); likely reduce hospital readmissions (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.98; 17 trials, 9561 participants; moderate-certainty evidence); may reduce emergency department contacts (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.03; 8 trials, 3527 participants; low-certainty evidence) and have very uncertain effects on health-related quality of life (SMD 0.10, 95% CI -0.10 to 0.30; 4 trials, 392 participants; very low-certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Medication reviews in hospitalised adult patients likely reduce hospital readmissions and may reduce emergency department contacts. The evidence suggests that mediation reviews may have little to no effect on mortality, while the effect on health-related quality of life is very uncertain. Almost all trials included elderly polypharmacy patients, which limits the generalisability of the results beyond this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cille Bülow
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stine Søndersted Clausen
- The Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andreas Lundh
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO) and Cochrane Denmark, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mikkel Christensen
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Copenhagen Center for Translational Research (CCTR), Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Ijadi Maghsoodi A, Pavlov V, Rouse P, Walker CG, Parsons M. Efficacy of acute care pathways for older patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Ageing 2022; 19:1571-1585. [PMID: 36692788 PMCID: PMC9729482 DOI: 10.1007/s10433-022-00743-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Meeting the needs of acute geriatric patients is often challenging, and although evidence shows that older patients need tailored care, it is still unclear which interventions are most appropriate. The objective of this study is to systematically evaluate the hospital-wide acute geriatric models compared with conventional pathways. The design of the study includes hospital-wide geriatric-specific models characterized by components including patient-centered care, frequent medical review, early rehabilitation, early discharge planning, prepared environment, and follow-up after discharge. Primary and secondary outcomes were considered, including functional decline, activities of daily living (ADL), length-of-stay (LoS), discharge destination, mortality, costs, and readmission. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 20 studies reporting on 15 trials and acutely admitted patients with an average age of 79, complex conditions and comorbidities to acute geriatric-specific pathways (N = 13,595) were included. Geriatric-specific models were associated with lower costs (weighted mean difference, WMD = - $174.98, 95% CI = -$332.14 to - $17.82; P = 0.03), and shorter LoS (WMD = - 1.11, 95% CI = - 1.39 to - 0.83; P < 0.001). No differences were found in functional decline, ADL, mortality, case fatalities, discharge destination, or readmissions. Geriatric-specific models are valuable for improving patient and system-level outcomes. Although several interventions had positive results, further research is recommended to study hospital-wide geriatric-specific models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abtin Ijadi Maghsoodi
- Department of Information Systems and Operations Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand ,Department of Intelligence & Insights, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Waikato District, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Valery Pavlov
- Department of Information Systems and Operations Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Paul Rouse
- Department of Accounting and Finance, Faculty of Business and Economics , University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Cameron G. Walker
- Department of Engineering Science, Faculty of Engineering , University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Matthew Parsons
- School of Health , University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand ,Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Waikato District, Hamilton, New Zealand
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Hosoi T, Yamana H, Tamiya H, Matsui H, Fushimi K, Akishita M, Yasunaga H, Ogawa S. Association between comprehensive geriatric assessment and polypharmacy at discharge in patients with ischaemic stroke: A nationwide, retrospective, cohort study. EClinicalMedicine 2022; 50:101528. [PMID: 35784439 PMCID: PMC9241103 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polypharmacy and its adverse drug events are a major healthcare challenge related to falls, hospitalisations and mortality. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) may contribute to polypharmacy improvement, however, there is no clear evidence so far. METHODS Using a national inpatient database in Japan from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2018, we investigated the association between CGA and polypharmacy. We identified patients aged ≥65 years admitted for ischaemic stroke who could receive oral medications. Propensity score matching was conducted for patients with and without CGA during hospitalisation. The outcomes were polypharmacy (defined as use of five or more types of oral medications) at discharge, the number of medication types prescribed at discharge, and the difference between the numbers of medication types prescribed on admission and at discharge. FINDINGS A total of 162,443 patients were analysed, of whom 39,356 (24·2%) received CGA, and propensity score matching identified 39,349 pairs. Compared with non-CGA group, the CGA group had a significantly lower proportion of polypharmacy at discharge (34·3% vs. 32·9%, p < 0·001) and a smaller number of medication types prescribed at discharge (3·84 vs. 3·76, p < 0·001). INTERPRETATION This study shows the clear evidence that there is a positive relationship between CGA and a reduction in the number of medications in older inpatients with ischaemic stroke. FUNDING The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Hosoi
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hayato Yamana
- Department of Health Services Research, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Tamiya
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroki Matsui
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Economics, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kiyohide Fushimi
- Department of Health Policy and Informatics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahiro Akishita
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hideo Yasunaga
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Economics, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sumito Ogawa
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Corresponding author at: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
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Aida K, Azuma K, Mishima S, Ishii Y, Suzuki S, Oda J, Honma H. Potentially inappropriate medications at admission among elderly patients transported to a tertiary emergency medical institution in Japan. Acute Med Surg 2022; 9:e748. [PMID: 35386514 PMCID: PMC8976156 DOI: 10.1002/ams2.748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) have been reported to be associated with lower adherence, higher rates of adverse events, and higher health‐care costs in elderly patients with high comorbidity. However, inappropriate prescribing has not been adequately reported in studies of patients transported to tertiary care hospitals. In this study, we investigated PIMs at the time of admission, on the basis of the prescription status of elderly patients admitted to a tertiary emergency room (ER). Methods We included 316 patients (168 men and 148 women, aged 75–97 years) who were admitted to our ER from September 2018 to August 2019, whose prescriptions were available on admission. Drugs that met the Screening Tool of Older Persons' Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria version 2 were defined as PIMs. The primary outcome was the proportion of older adults taking at least one PIM at admission. Results The proportion of patients taking PIMs at admission was 57% (n = 179). The most common PIMs were benzodiazepines, proton pump inhibitors, and nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs. The total number of medications prescribed at admission, prescriptions from multiple institutions, and prescriptions from clinics were the risk factors for PIMs at admission (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion We must be careful to avoid inappropriate prescribing for patients transported to tertiary care hospitals who have numerous prescriptions at the time of admission, patients who receive prescriptions from multiple medical institutions, and patients who receive prescriptions from clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Aida
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Kazunari Azuma
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Shiro Mishima
- Department of Medical Safety Management Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Yuri Ishii
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Shoji Suzuki
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Jun Oda
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine Osaka Japan
| | - Hiroshi Honma
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
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Aida K, Azuma K, Mishima S, Ishii Y, Suzuki S, Oda J. Potentially inappropriate medications at discharge among elderly patients at a single tertiary emergency medical institution in Japan: a retrospective cross-sectional observational study. Acute Med Surg 2021; 8:e711. [PMID: 34876989 PMCID: PMC8628299 DOI: 10.1002/ams2.711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are associated with a lower medication adherence and a higher incidence of adverse events and medical costs among elderly patients. The current study aimed to examine the prescription status of elderly patients transported to tertiary emergency medical institutions to compare the proportion of elderly patients using PIMs at admission and discharge and to investigate the characteristics of PIMs at discharge and their associated factors. Methods In total, 264 patients aged 75 years or older who were transferred to and discharged from the emergency room at Tokyo Medical University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital, from September 2018 to August 2019 were included in this study. We quantified the number of PIMs at admission and discharge based on the Screening Tool of Older Persons’ Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria version 2. The primary outcomes were the proportion of elderly patients taking at least one PIM at admission and discharge. Results The proportions of patients taking PIMs at admission and discharge were 55% (n = 175) and 28% (n = 74), respectively. Old age, greater number of PIMs at admission, and greater number of medications at discharge were directly associated with PIMs at discharge. Conclusions Admission to tertiary care hospitals resulted in a lower number of prescribed PIMs. Elderly patients with a higher number of PIMs at admission and higher number of medications at discharge might have been prescribed with PIMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Aida
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Kazunari Azuma
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Shiro Mishima
- Department of Medical Safety Management Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Yuri Ishii
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Shoji Suzuki
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
| | - Jun Oda
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Tokyo Medical University Tokyo Japan
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King SJ, Raine KA, Peel NM, Hubbard RE. Interventions for frail older inpatients: A systematic review of frailty measures and reported outcomes in randomised controlled trials. Australas J Ageing 2021; 40:129-144. [PMID: 33876880 DOI: 10.1111/ajag.12951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To summarise frailty measures and outcomes reported in trials involving frail older inpatients. METHODS Databases were searched for randomised controlled trials enrolling frail older inpatients. RESULTS Twenty-four articles describing twelve trials were included. Seven trials applied six tools to measure frailty, whilst five trials employed ad hoc measures. Eighty outcomes were examined with survival and functional status reported most commonly. Nine studies trialled multidisciplinary, geriatrician-led interventions. Statistically significant between-group differences were detected for at least one outcome in ten trials. All studies represented high risk of bias within at least one domain. CONCLUSIONS Heterogeneity of interventions, measurement of frailty and outcomes reported limit generalisability of findings. Many articles purport to study frail patients, yet do not enrol patients using any frailty measurement tool. Utilising validated instruments to measure frailty and a standard set of health outcomes relevant to older people would assist consistent reporting and evaluation of future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon J King
- Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Qld, Australia
| | | | - Nancye M Peel
- Centre for Health Services Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - Ruth E Hubbard
- Centre for Health Services Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.,Princess Alexandra Hospital Southside Clinical Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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Bories M, Bouzillé G, Cuggia M, Le Corre P. Drug-Drug Interactions in Elderly Patients with Potentially Inappropriate Medications in Primary Care, Nursing Home and Hospital Settings: A Systematic Review and a Preliminary Study. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13020266. [PMID: 33669162 PMCID: PMC7919637 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13020266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug–drug interactions (DDI) occurring with potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) are additional risk factors that may increase the inappropriate character of PIM. The aim of this study was (1) to describe the prevalence and severity of DDI in patients with PIM and (2) to evaluate the DDI specifically regarding PIM. This systematic review is based on a search carried out on PubMed and Web-of-Science from inception to June 30, 2020. We extracted data of original studies that assessed the prevalence of both DDI and PIM in elderly patients in primary care, nursing home and hospital settings. Four hundred and forty unique studies were identified: 91 were included in the qualitative analysis and 66 were included in the quantitative analysis. The prevalence of PIM in primary care, nursing home and hospital were 19.1% (95% confidence intervals (CI): 15.1–23.0%), 29.7% (95% CI: 27.8–31.6%) and 44.6% (95% CI: 28.3–60.9%), respectively. Clinically significant severe risk-rated DDI averaged 28.9% (95% CI: 17.2–40.6), in a hospital setting; and were approximately 7-to-9 lower in primary care and nursing home, respectively. Surprisingly, only four of these studies investigated DDI involving specifically PIM. Hence, given the high prevalence of severe DDI in patients with PIM, further investigations should be carried out on DDI involving specifically PIM which may increase their inappropriate character, and the risk of adverse drug reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Bories
- Pôle Pharmacie, Service Hospitalo-Universitaire de Pharmacie, CHU de Rennes, 35033 Rennes, France;
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, INSERM, LTSI-UMR 1099, F-35000 Rennes, France; (G.B.); (M.C.)
- Laboratoire de Biopharmacie et Pharmacie Clinique, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Rennes 1, 35043 Rennes, France
| | - Guillaume Bouzillé
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, INSERM, LTSI-UMR 1099, F-35000 Rennes, France; (G.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Marc Cuggia
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, INSERM, LTSI-UMR 1099, F-35000 Rennes, France; (G.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Pascal Le Corre
- Pôle Pharmacie, Service Hospitalo-Universitaire de Pharmacie, CHU de Rennes, 35033 Rennes, France;
- Laboratoire de Biopharmacie et Pharmacie Clinique, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Rennes 1, 35043 Rennes, France
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail)-UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France
- Correspondence:
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Johansen JS, Halvorsen KH, Svendsen K, Havnes K, Garcia BH. The impact of hospitalisation to geriatric wards on the use of medications and potentially inappropriate medications - a health register study. BMC Geriatr 2020; 20:190. [PMID: 32487225 PMCID: PMC7268415 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-020-01585-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are associated with negative health effects for older adults. The purpose of this study was to apply national register data to investigate the impact of hospitalisation to geriatric wards in Norway on the use of medications and PIMs, and to compare two explicit PIM identification tools. METHODS We included 715 patients ≥65 years (mean 82.5, SD = 7.8) admitted to Norwegian geriatric wards in 2013 identified from The Norwegian Patient Registry, and collected their medication use from the Norwegian Prescription Database. Medication use before and after hospitalisation was compared and screened for PIMs applying a subset of the European Union (EU)(7)-PIM list and the Norwegian General Practice - Nursing Home (NORGEP-NH) list part A and B. RESULTS The mean number of medications increased from 6.5 (SD = 3.5) before to 7.5 (SD = 3.5) (CI:1.2-0.8, p < 0.001) after hospitalisation. The proportion of patients with PIMs increased from before to after hospitalisation according to the EU(7)-PIM list (from 62.4 to 69.2%, p < 0.001), but not according to The NORGEP-NH list (from 49.9 to 50.6%, p = 0.73). The EU(7)-PIM list and the NORGEP-NH list had more than 70% agreement on the classification of patients as PIM users. CONCLUSIONS Medication use increased after hospitalisation to geriatric wards. We did not find that geriatric hospital care leads to a general improvement in PIM use after hospitalisation. According to a subset of the EU(7)-PIM list, PIM use increased after hospitalisation. This increase was not identified by the NORGEP-NH list part A and B. It is feasible to use health register data to investigate the impact of hospitalisation to geriatric wards on medication use and PIMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanette Schultz Johansen
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Kjell H Halvorsen
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kristian Svendsen
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway.,Hospital Pharmacy of North Norway Trust, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kjerstin Havnes
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Beate H Garcia
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway.,Hospital Pharmacy of North Norway Trust, Tromsø, Norway
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Can screening tools for potentially inappropriate prescriptions in older adults prevent serious adverse drug events? Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2019; 75:627-637. [PMID: 30662995 DOI: 10.1007/s00228-019-02624-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of the study is to identify and explore risk factors of serious adverse drug events (SADE) and SADE-related admissions in acutely hospitalized multimorbid older adults and assess whether these could have been prevented by adherence to the prescription tools Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions (STOPP) and The Norwegian General Practice (NORGEP) criteria. METHODS Cross-sectional study of acutely admitted patients to a medical department in a Norwegian regional hospital. Eligible patients were community-dwelling, receiving home care services, and aged 75+, with ≥ 3 chronic diseases. Medications and information regarding the admission were retrieved from the referral letter and medical records, while an expert panel identified SADE using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events and SADE-related admissions. RESULTS We included 232 patients. Mean (SD) age was 86 (5.7) years, 137 (59%) were female, 121 (52%) used 5-9 drugs whereas 65 (28%) used ≥ 10. We identified SADEs in 72 (31%) of the patients, and in 49 (68%) of these cases, the SADE was considered to cause the hospital admission. A low body mass index (BMI) and a high Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatrics (CIRS-G) score were independent risk factors for SADEs. Among the SADEs identified, 32 (44%) and 11 (15%) were preventable by adherence to STOPP and NORGEP, respectively. CONCLUSIONS We found a high prevalence of SADE leading to hospitalization. Risk factors for SADE were high CIRS-G and low BMI. STOPP identified more SADEs than NORGEP, but adherence to the prescription tools could only to a limited degree prevent SADEs in this patient group.
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Impact of Geriatrician-Performed Comprehensive Geriatric Care on Medication Use and Cognitive Function in Older Adults Referred to a Non-Hospital-Based Rehabilitation Unit. Am J Med 2019; 132:93-102.e2. [PMID: 30367848 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2018.09.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Eighty-eight percent of older adults referred to Danish non-hospital-based rehabilitation units used ≥5 regular drugs per day at the beginning of rehabilitation. The aim of the study was to explore whether geriatrician-performed comprehensive geriatric care had an impact on medication use and cognitive function in older adults after a 90-day follow-up. METHODS There were 368 individuals aged ≥65 years recruited from 2 Danish non-hospital-based rehabilitation units and randomized to geriatric care (the intervention group) or usual care (the control group). The medication adjustment was the key element of the geriatric intervention. The control group received standard rehabilitation with general practitioners as back-up. The outcomes were prevalence of hyperpolypharmacy (≥10 regular medications prescribed concurrently), the change in medication profile, and cognitive function measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination. RESULTS In the intervention group, fewer persons were exposed to hyperpolypharmacy (odds ratio 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-0.9) compared with the control group after 90 days. The prevalence of use of proton pump inhibitors, loop diuretics, or antiasthmatic inhalers was lower, while the prevalence of cholecalciferol use was higher in the intervention group compared with the control group. The prevalence of other drug use and cognitive function between groups were not different. CONCLUSIONS Geriatrician-performed comprehensive geriatric care may reduce the prevalence of hyperpolypharmacy and optimize the medication profile in older adults referred to a non-hospital-based rehabilitation. No impact on cognitive function was found.
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Hansen CR, O'Mahony D, Kearney PM, Sahm LJ, Cullinan S, Huibers C, Thevelin S, Rutjes AW, Knol W, Streit S, Byrne S. Identification of behaviour change techniques in deprescribing interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2018; 84:2716-2728. [PMID: 30129139 PMCID: PMC6255994 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.13742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Revised: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Deprescribing interventions safely and effectively optimize medication use in older people. However, questions remain about which components of interventions are key to effectively reduce inappropriate medication use. This systematic review examines the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) of deprescribing interventions and summarizes intervention effectiveness on medication use and inappropriate prescribing. METHODS MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Academic Search Complete and grey literature were searched for relevant literature. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included if they reported on interventions in people aged ≥65 years. The BCT taxonomy was used to identify BCTs frequently observed in deprescribing interventions. Effectiveness of interventions on inappropriate medication use was summarized in meta-analyses. Medication appropriateness was assessed in accordance with STOPP criteria, Beers' criteria and national or local guidelines. Between-study heterogeneity was evaluated by I-squared and Chi-squared statistics. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Tool for randomized controlled studies. RESULTS Of the 1561 records identified, 25 studies were included in the review. Deprescribing interventions were effective in reducing number of drugs and inappropriate prescribing, but a large heterogeneity in effects was observed. BCT clusters including goals and planning; social support; shaping knowledge; natural consequences; comparison of behaviour; comparison of outcomes; regulation; antecedents; and identity had a positive effect on the effectiveness of interventions. CONCLUSIONS In general, deprescribing interventions effectively reduce medication use and inappropriate prescribing in older people. Successful deprescribing is facilitated by the combination of BCTs involving a range of intervention components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina R. Hansen
- Pharmaceutical Care Research Group, School of Pharmacy, Cavanagh Pharmacy BuildingUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
- Section for Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen ØDenmark
| | - Denis O'Mahony
- Department of MedicineUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
- Department of Geriatric MedicineCork University HospitalCorkIreland
| | | | - Laura J. Sahm
- Pharmaceutical Care Research Group, School of Pharmacy, Cavanagh Pharmacy BuildingUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
- Pharmacy DepartmentMercy University HospitalCorkIreland
| | - Shane Cullinan
- School of Pharmacy, Royal College of Surgeons of IrelandDublinIreland
| | - C.J.A. Huibers
- Department of Geriatric Medicine and Expertise Centre Pharmacotherapy in Old PersonsUniversity Medical Centre UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Stefanie Thevelin
- Clinical Pharmacy Research Group, Louvain Drug Research InstituteUniversité Catholique de LouvainBrusselsBelgium
| | - Anne W.S. Rutjes
- Institute of Social and Preventive MedicineUniversity of Bern, Switzerland & Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of BernSwitzerland
| | - Wilma Knol
- Department of Geriatric Medicine and Expertise Centre Pharmacotherapy in Old PersonsUniversity Medical Centre UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Sven Streit
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM)University of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Stephen Byrne
- Pharmaceutical Care Research Group, School of Pharmacy, Cavanagh Pharmacy BuildingUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
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Komagamine J. Prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications at admission and discharge among hospitalised elderly patients with acute medical illness at a single centre in Japan: a retrospective cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2018; 8:e021152. [PMID: 30030316 PMCID: PMC6059264 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) at admission and discharge among hospitalised elderly patients with acute medical illness in Japan. DESIGN A retrospective single-centre cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS Hospitalised patients aged 65 years or older admitted for pneumonia, heart failure, ischaemic stroke, acute coronary syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, gastrointestinal bleeding, urinary tract infection or epilepsy from September 2014 to June 2016 who were still alive at discharge. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was the proportion of patients taking at least one PIM at admission and discharge. PIMs were defined based on the 2015 American Geriatric Society Beers Criteria. Temporal changes in the proportion of patients taking at least one PIM from admission to discharge were also evaluated. RESULTS During the study period, 689 eligible patients were identified. The median patient age was 82.0 years (IQR 76.0-88.0), 348 (50.5%) were men and the median number of medications at admission was 5.0 (IQR 3.0-8.0). The proportions of patients taking any PIMs at admission and discharge were 47.9% (95% CI 44.2% to 51.6%) and 25.1% (95% CI 21.9% to 28.4%), respectively. The proportion of patients taking any PIMs was significantly lower at discharge than at admission (reduction rate 0.48, 95%, CI 0.41 to 0.53). CONCLUSIONS A substantial proportion of hospitalised elderly patients with acute medical illness took PIMs at admission and discharge. These findings should be confirmed at other hospitals in Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junpei Komagamine
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Hospital Organisation Tochigi Medical Centre, Utsunomiya, Japan
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Theou O, Squires E, Mallery K, Lee JS, Fay S, Goldstein J, Armstrong JJ, Rockwood K. What do we know about frailty in the acute care setting? A scoping review. BMC Geriatr 2018; 18:139. [PMID: 29898673 PMCID: PMC6000922 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-018-0823-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability of acute care providers to cope with the influx of frail older patients is increasingly stressed, and changes need to be made to improve care provided to older adults. Our purpose was to conduct a scoping review to map and synthesize the literature addressing frailty in the acute care setting in order to understand how to tackle this challenge. We also aimed to highlight the current gaps in frailty research. METHODS This scoping review included original research articles with acutely-ill Emergency Medical Services (EMS) or hospitalized older patients who were identified as frail by the authors. We searched Medline, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Eric, and Cochrane from January 2000 to September 2015. RESULTS Our database search initially resulted in 8658 articles and 617 were eligible. In 67% of the articles the authors identified their participants as frail but did not report on how they measured frailty. Among the 204 articles that did measure frailty, the most common disciplines were geriatrics (14%), emergency department (14%), and general medicine (11%). In total, 89 measures were used. This included 13 established tools, used in 51% of the articles, and 35 non-frailty tools, used in 24% of the articles. The most commonly used tools were the Clinical Frailty Scale, the Frailty Index, and the Frailty Phenotype (12% each). Most often (44%) researchers used frailty tools to predict adverse health outcomes. In 74% of the cases frailty predicted the outcome examined, typically mortality and length of stay. CONCLUSIONS Most studies (83%) were conducted in non-geriatric disciplines and two thirds of the articles identified participants as frail without measuring frailty. There was great variability in tools used and more recently published studies were more likely to use established frailty tools. Overall, frailty appears to be a good predictor of adverse health outcomes. For frailty to be implemented in clinical practice frailty tools should help formulate the care plan and improve shared decision making. How this will happen has yet to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Theou
- Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building, 5955 Veterans’ Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS B3H 2E1 Canada
- Geriatric Medicine, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building, 5955 Veterans’ Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS B3H 2E1 Canada
| | - Emma Squires
- Geriatric Medicine, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building, 5955 Veterans’ Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS B3H 2E1 Canada
| | - Kayla Mallery
- Geriatric Medicine, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building, 5955 Veterans’ Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS B3H 2E1 Canada
| | - Jacques S. Lee
- Sunnybrook Health Service, 2075 Bayview Avenue, BG-04, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5 Canada
| | - Sherri Fay
- Geriatric Medicine, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building, 5955 Veterans’ Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS B3H 2E1 Canada
| | - Judah Goldstein
- Emergency Health Services, 239 Brownlow Avenue, Suite 300, Dartmouth, NS B3B 2B2 Canada
| | - Joshua J. Armstrong
- Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1 Canada
| | - Kenneth Rockwood
- Geriatric Medicine, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building, 5955 Veterans’ Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS B3H 2E1 Canada
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building, 5955 Veterans’ Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS B3H 2E1 Canada
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South Korean geriatrics on Beers Criteria medications at risk of adverse drug events. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191376. [PMID: 29543860 PMCID: PMC5854240 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Beers Criteria released by the American Geriatrics Society includes a list of drugs to avoid in the geriatric population and is frequently used as a safety resource in geriatric pharmacotherapy. Objective To evaluate the exposure of South Korean geriatrics to potentially inappropriate medications according to the Beers Criteria and the risk of adverse events from these medications. Methods This study included medications recommended to be avoided in patients 65 years or older regardless of concomitant drug therapy or disease. The exposure of South Korean geriatrics to each of the study medications were examined using health claims data of 2011. The number of South Korean geriatrics at risk of experiencing adverse drug events from the study medications were estimated by multiplying the number of patients exposed to the medication in 2011 and the incident rate of the event obtained from literature sources. Results This study examined 166,822 geriatrics for Beers Criteria medication exposure and adverse drug event risk. The most prevalent Beers Criteria medication prescribed in South Korean geriatrics >1 day was chlorpheniramine (53.9%) and the adverse drug event with the highest number of this geriatric population at risk of was amitriptyline related dry mouth (4.9%). The proportion of South Korean geriatrics on chronic Beers Criteria medications >1 day at risk of adverse drug events from these medications was significantly higher than in US geriatrics (0.005 vs. 0.001, 2-way ANOVA post hoc pairwise t-test P<0.0001). Conclusions In 2011, over half of South Korean geriatrics was exposed to medications recommended to be avoided in geriatrics and their adverse drug event risk warrants close monitoring of their occurrence.
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Ellis G, Gardner M, Tsiachristas A, Langhorne P, Burke O, Harwood RH, Conroy SP, Kircher T, Somme D, Saltvedt I, Wald H, O'Neill D, Robinson D, Shepperd S. Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults admitted to hospital. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; 9:CD006211. [PMID: 28898390 PMCID: PMC6484374 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd006211.pub3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 381] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multi-dimensional, multi-disciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic process conducted to determine the medical, mental, and functional problems of older people with frailty so that a co-ordinated and integrated plan for treatment and follow-up can be developed. This is an update of a previously published Cochrane review. OBJECTIVES We sought to critically appraise and summarise current evidence on the effectiveness and resource use of CGA for older adults admitted to hospital, and to use these data to estimate its cost-effectiveness. SEARCH METHODS We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, three other databases, and two trials registers on 5 October 2016; we also checked reference lists and contacted study authors. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomised trials that compared inpatient CGA (delivered on geriatric wards or by mobile teams) versus usual care on a general medical ward or on a ward for older people, usually admitted to hospital for acute care or for inpatient rehabilitation after an acute admission. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We followed standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane and Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC). We used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of evidence for the most important outcomes. For this update, we requested individual patient data (IPD) from trialists, and we conducted a survey of trialists to obtain details of delivery of CGA. We calculated risk ratios (RRs), mean differences (MDs), or standardised mean differences (SMDs), and combined data using fixed-effect meta-analysis. We estimated cost-effectiveness by comparing inpatient CGA versus hospital admission without CGA in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained, cost per life year (LY) gained, and cost per life year living at home (LYLAH) gained. MAIN RESULTS We included 29 trials recruiting 13,766 participants across nine, mostly high-income countries. CGA increases the likelihood that patients will be alive and in their own homes at 3 to 12 months' follow-up (risk ratio (RR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.10; 16 trials, 6799 participants; high-certainty evidence), results in little or no difference in mortality at 3 to 12 months' follow-up (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.07; 21 trials, 10,023 participants; high-certainty evidence), decreases the likelihood that patients will be admitted to a nursing home at 3 to 12 months follow-up (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.89; 14 trials, 6285 participants; high-certainty evidence) and results in little or no difference in dependence (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.04; 14 trials, 6551 participants; high-certainty evidence). CGA may make little or no difference to cognitive function (SMD ranged from -0.22 to 0.35 (5 trials, 3534 participants; low-certainty evidence)). Mean length of stay ranged from 1.63 days to 40.7 days in the intervention group, and ranged from 1.8 days to 42.8 days in the comparison group. Healthcare costs per participant in the CGA group were on average GBP 234 (95% CI GBP -144 to GBP 605) higher than in the usual care group (17 trials, 5303 participants; low-certainty evidence). CGA may lead to a slight increase in QALYs of 0.012 (95% CI -0.024 to 0.048) at GBP 19,802 per QALY gained (3 trials; low-certainty evidence), a slight increase in LYs of 0.037 (95% CI 0.001 to 0.073), at GBP 6305 per LY gained (4 trials; low-certainty evidence), and a slight increase in LYLAH of 0.019 (95% CI -0.019 to 0.155) at GBP 12,568 per LYLAH gained (2 trials; low-certainty evidence). The probability that CGA would be cost-effective at a GBP 20,000 ceiling ratio for QALY, LY, and LYLAH was 0.50, 0.89, and 0.47, respectively (17 trials, 5303 participants; low-certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Older patients are more likely to be alive and in their own homes at follow-up if they received CGA on admission to hospital. We are uncertain whether data show a difference in effect between wards and teams, as this analysis was underpowered. CGA may lead to a small increase in costs, and evidence for cost-effectiveness is of low-certainty due to imprecision and inconsistency among studies. Further research that reports cost estimates that are setting-specific across different sectors of care are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Ellis
- Monklands HospitalMedicine for the ElderlyMonkscourt AvenueAirdrieUKML6 0JS
| | - Mike Gardner
- University of OxfordNuffield Department of Population HealthRichard Doll Building, Old Road CampusOxfordUKOX3 7LF
| | - Apostolos Tsiachristas
- University of OxfordNuffield Department of Population HealthRichard Doll Building, Old Road CampusOxfordUKOX3 7LF
| | - Peter Langhorne
- ICAMS, University of GlasgowAcademic Section of Geriatric MedicineLevel 2, New Lister BuildingGlasgow Royal InfirmaryGlasgowUKG31 2ER
| | - Orlaith Burke
- University of OxfordNuffield Department of Population HealthRichard Doll Building, Old Road CampusOxfordUKOX3 7LF
| | - Rowan H Harwood
- Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS TrustHealth Care of Older PeopleNottinghamUKNG7 2UH
| | - Simon P Conroy
- University of LeicesterDepartment of Health SciencesLeicesterUKLE1 5WW
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Philipps‐Universität Marburg ‐ UKGMKlinik für Psychiatrie und PsychotherapieRudolf‐Bultmann‐Straße 8MarburgGermanyD‐35039
| | - Dominique Somme
- Hôpital PontchaillouFaculté de Médecine, Université de Rennes 1, Service de
Gériatrie CHU de Rennes, Centre de Recherche sur l'Action Politique en
Europe2 rue Henri Le GuillouxRennesFrance35033
| | - Ingvild Saltvedt
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)Department of Neuromedicine and Movement ScienceTrondheimNorway
| | - Heidi Wald
- University of Colorado School of MedicineDivision of Health Care Policy and Research, Department of MedicineHCPR, Campus Box F480, Suite 400 13199 E. Montview BlvdAuroraUSA
| | - Desmond O'Neill
- Trinity CollegeCentre for Ageing, Neuroscience and the HumanitiesTrinity Centre for Health Sciences, Tallaght HospitalDublinIreland24
| | - David Robinson
- St James’s HospitalMedicine for the ElderlyDublinIrelandDublin 8
| | - Sasha Shepperd
- University of OxfordNuffield Department of Population HealthRichard Doll Building, Old Road CampusOxfordUKOX3 7LF
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Patterns of drug prescriptions in an orthogeriatric ward as compared to orthopaedic ward: results from the Trondheim Hip Fracture Trial-a randomised clinical trial. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2017; 73:937-947. [PMID: 28550459 PMCID: PMC5508046 DOI: 10.1007/s00228-017-2263-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Purpose In the Trondheim Hip Fracture Trial, 397 home-dwelling patients with hip fractures were randomised to comprehensive geriatric care (CGC) in a geriatric ward or traditional orthopaedic care (OC). Patients in the CGC group had significantly better mobility and function 4 months after discharge. This study explores group differences in drug prescribing and possible associations with the outcomes in the main study. Methods Drugs prescribed at admission and discharge were registered from hospital records. Mobility, function, fear of falling and quality of life were assessed using specific rating scales. Linear regression was used to analyse association between drug changes and outcomes at 4 months. Results The mean age was 83 years, and 74% were females. The mean number (± SD) of drugs in the CGC and OC groups was 3.8 (2.8) and 3.9 (2.8) at inclusion and 7.1 (2.8) and 6.2 (3.0) at discharge, respectively (p = 0.003). The total number of withdrawals was 209 and 82 in the CGC and OC groups, respectively (p < 0.0001), and the number of starts was 844 and 526, respectively (p < 0.0001). A significant negative association was found between the number of drug changes during the hospital stay and mobility and function 4 months later in both groups. However, this association disappeared when adjusting for baseline function and comorbidities. Conclusion These secondary analyses suggest that there are significant differences in the pharmacological treatment between geriatric and orthopaedic wards, but these differences could not explain the beneficial effect of CGC in the Trondheim Hip Fracture Trial. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00228-017-2263-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Cooperation between geriatricians and general practitioners for improved pharmacotherapy in home-dwelling elderly people receiving polypharmacy - the COOP Study: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial. Trials 2017; 18:158. [PMID: 28372591 PMCID: PMC5379709 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-017-1900-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Polypharmacy and inappropriate drug use is associated with negative health outcomes among older people. Various interventions for improving drug treatment have been evaluated, but the majority of studies are limited by the use of surrogate outcomes or suboptimal design. Thus, the potential for clinically significant improvements from different interventions is still unclear. The main objective of this study is therefore to evaluate the effect upon patient-relevant endpoints of a cooperation between geriatricians and general practitioners on complex drug regimens in home-dwelling elderly people. Methods This is a cluster randomised, single-blind, controlled trial where general practitioners are invited to participate with patients from their lists. The patients must be 70 years or older, use at least seven different medications and have their medications administered by the home nursing service. We plan to recruit 200 patients, with randomisation at physician level. The intervention consists of three main parts: (1) clinical geriatric assessment of the patient, combined with a thorough review of their medications; (2) a meeting between the geriatrician and general practitioner, where the two physicians combine their competence and knowledge and discuss the drug list systematically; (3) clinical follow-up, depending on the medication changes that have been done. The study period is 24 weeks, and the patients are assessed at baseline, 16 and 24 weeks. The primary outcome measure is health-related quality of life according to the 15D instrument. Secondary outcome measures include physical and cognitive functioning, medication appropriateness, falls, carer burden, use of health services (hospital or nursing home admissions, use of home nursing services) and mortality. Discussion Our choice of patient-relevant outcome measures will hopefully provide new knowledge on the potential for clinical improvements after performing comprehensive medication reviews in home-dwelling elderly people receiving polypharmacy. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02379455. Registered on 27 February 2015. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-1900-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Christensen M, Lundh A, Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group. Medication review in hospitalised patients to reduce morbidity and mortality. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016; 2:CD008986. [PMID: 26895968 PMCID: PMC7119455 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd008986.pub3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pharmacotherapy in the elderly population is complicated by several factors that increase the risk of drug-related harms and less favourable effectiveness. The concept of medication review is a key element in improving the quality of prescribing and in preventing adverse drug events. Although there is no generally accepted definition of medication review, it can be broadly defined as a systematic assessment of pharmacotherapy for an individual patient that aims to optimise patient medication by providing a recommendation or by making a direct change. Medication review performed in adult hospitalised patients may lead to better patient outcomes. OBJECTIVES We examined whether delivery of a medication review by a physician, pharmacist or other healthcare professional leads to improvement in health outcomes of hospitalised adult patients compared with standard care. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Specialised Register of the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE; EMBASE; and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) to November 2014, as well as International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and Web of Science to May 2015. In addition, we searched reference lists of included trials and relevant reviews. We searched trials registries and contacted experts to identify additional published and unpublished trials. We applied no language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of medication review in hospitalised adult patients. We excluded trials of outclinic and paediatric patients. Our primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and secondary outcomes included hospital readmissions, emergency department contacts and adverse drug events. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently included trials, extracted data and assessed trials for risk of bias. We contacted trial authors for clarification of data and for additional unpublished data. We calculated risk ratios for dichotomous data and mean differences for continuous data (with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)). The GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach was used to assess the overall certainty of evidence for the most important outcomes. MAIN RESULTS We identified 6600 references (4647 references in our initial review) and included 10 trials (3575 participants). Follow-up ranged from 30 days to one year. Nine trials provided mortality data (3218 participants, 466 events), with a risk ratio of 1.02 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.19) (low-certainty evidence). Seven trials provided hospital readmission data (2843 participants, 1043 events) with a risk ratio of 0.95 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.04) (high-certainty evidence). Four trials provided emergency department contact data (1442 participants, 244 events) with a risk ratio of 0.73 (95% CI 0.52 to 1.03) (low-certainty evidence). The estimated reduction in emergency department contacts of 27% (with a CI ranging from 48% reduction to 3% increase in contacts) corresponds to a number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome of 37 for a low-risk population and 12 for a high-risk population over one year. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses did not significantly alter our results. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS We found no evidence that medication review reduces mortality or hospital readmissions, although we did find evidence that medication review may reduce emergency department contacts. However, because of short follow-up ranging from 30 days to one year, important treatment effects may have been overlooked. High-quality trials with long-term follow-up (i.e. at least up to a year) are needed to provide more definitive evidence for the effect of medication review on clinically important outcomes such as mortality, readmissions and emergency department contacts, and on outcomes such as adverse events. Therefore, if used in clinical practice, medication reviews should be undertaken as part of a clinical trial with long-term follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikkel Christensen
- Bispebjerg HospitalDepartment of Clinical PharmacologyBispebjerg Bakke 23CopenhagenDenmark2400
| | - Andreas Lundh
- RigshospitaletThe Nordic Cochrane CentreBlegdamsvej 9, 7811CopenhagenDenmarkDK‐2100
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Abstract
Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are common in older adults, with falls, orthostatic hypotension, delirium, renal failure, gastrointestinal and intracranial bleeding being amongst the most common clinical manifestations. ADR risk increases with age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, increasing burden of comorbidity, polypharmacy, inappropriate prescribing and suboptimal monitoring of drugs. ADRs are a preventable cause of harm to patients and an unnecessary waste of healthcare resources. Several ADR risk tools exist but none has sufficient predictive value for clinical practice. Good clinical practice for detecting and predicting ADRs in vulnerable patients includes detailed documentation and regular review of prescribed and over-the-counter medications through standardized medication reconciliation. New medications should be prescribed cautiously with clear therapeutic goals and recognition of the impact a drug can have on multiple organ systems. Prescribers should regularly review medication efficacy and be vigilant for ADRs and their contributory risk factors. Deprescribing should occur at an individual level when drugs are no longer efficacious or beneficial or when safer alternatives exist. Inappropriate prescribing and unnecessary polypharmacy should be minimized. Comprehensive geriatric assessment and the use of explicit prescribing criteria can be useful in this regard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Hanora Lavan
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
| | - Paul Gallagher
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
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Lavan AH, O’Grady J, Gallagher PF. Appropriate prescribing in the elderly: Current perspectives. World J Pharmacol 2015; 4:193-209. [DOI: 10.5497/wjp.v4.i2.193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2014] [Revised: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in medical therapeutics have undoubtedly contributed to health gains and increases in life expectancy over the last century. However, there is growing evidence to suggest that therapeutic decisions in older patients are frequently suboptimal or potentially inappropriate and often result in negative outcomes such as adverse drug events, hospitalisation and increased healthcare resource utilisation. Several factors influence the appropriateness of medication selection in older patients including age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, high numbers of concurrent medications, functional status and burden of co-morbid illness. With ever-increasing therapeutic options, escalating proportions of older patients worldwide, and varying degrees of prescriber education in geriatric pharmacotherapy, strategies to assist physicians in choosing appropriate pharmacotherapy for older patients may be helpful. In this paper, we describe important age-related pharmacological changes as well as the principal domains of prescribing appropriateness in older people. We highlight common examples of drug-drug and drug-disease interactions in older people. We present a clinical case in which the appropriateness of prescription medications is reviewed and corrective strategies suggested. We also discuss various approaches to optimising prescribing appropriateness in this population including the use of explicit and implicit prescribing appropriateness criteria, comprehensive geriatric assessment, clinical pharmacist review, prescriber education and computerized decision support tools.
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Karki S, Bhatta DN, Aryal UR. Older people's perspectives on an elderly-friendly hospital environment: an exploratory study. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2015; 8:81-9. [PMID: 26028980 PMCID: PMC4440357 DOI: 10.2147/rmhp.s83008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many older people are vulnerable with multiple health problems and need of extensive care and support for quality of life. The main objective of this study was to explore the older people's perspectives on an "elderly-friendly" hospital. METHODS Hospital was stratified by four domains including government, semi-government, community, and private. We interviewed 33 hospitalized older patients and four hospital managers between June and December 2014 in Kathmandu, Nepal, using purposive sampling technique. We executed a qualitative content analysis step with extensive review of the interviews. Final name of the theme was given after the agreement between the research team and experts to improve trustworthiness. Elderly-friendly services, expectation from government and hospital, and health policy related to senior citizen were developed as main themes. RESULTS Most of the participants were satisfied with the behavior of health personnel. However, none of the health personnel were trained with geriatric health care. Elderly-friendly hospital guidelines and policy were not developed by any hospitals. Older people health card, advocacy for older people's health and benefit, and hospital environment were the common expectations of older patients. Government policy and budget constraint were the main obstacles to promote elderly-friendly health care services. CONCLUSION Elderly-related health policies, physical environments of hospital, elderly-friendly health manpower, advocacy, and other facilities and benefits should be improved and developed. There are urgent needs to develop elderly-friendly hospital policies and guidelines that focus on older people's health benefits and friendly services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushmita Karki
- Department of Public Health, Nobel College, Pokhara University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Dharma Nand Bhatta
- Department of Public Health, Nobel College, Pokhara University, Kathmandu, Nepal ; Faculty of Medicine, Epidemiology Unit, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Umesh Raj Aryal
- Department of Community Medicine, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
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Frély A, Chazard E, Pansu A, Beuscart JB, Puisieux F. Impact of acute geriatric care in elderly patients according to the Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment criteria in northern France. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 16:272-8. [DOI: 10.1111/ggi.12474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anne Frély
- Gerontology Clinic; Lens General Hospital; Lens France
| | - Emmanuel Chazard
- Department of Medical Information and Archives; CHRU Lille; Lille France
| | | | | | - François Puisieux
- Gerontology Clinic; Les Bateliers General Hospital, CHRU de Lille; Lille France
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Vivas-Consuelo D, Usó-Talamantes R, Trillo-Mata JL, Mendez-Valera P. Methods to control the pharmaceutical cost impact of chronic conditions in the elderly. Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res 2015; 15:425-37. [DOI: 10.1586/14737167.2015.1017564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Vivas-Consuelo
- 1Research Centre for Health Economics and Management, Universitat Politècnica de València, Edificio7J, Campus de Vera s/n 46022-Valencia, Spain
| | - Ruth Usó-Talamantes
- 2Valencian Health Department (Conselleria de Sanitat), General Directorate of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Products, Valencia, Spain
| | - José Luis Trillo-Mata
- 2Valencian Health Department (Conselleria de Sanitat), General Directorate of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Products, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pablo Mendez-Valera
- 2Valencian Health Department (Conselleria de Sanitat), General Directorate of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Products, Valencia, Spain
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Kersten H, Hvidsten LT, Gløersen G, Wyller TB, Wang-Hansen MS. Clinical impact of potentially inappropriate medications during hospitalization of acutely ill older patients with multimorbidity. Scand J Prim Health Care 2015; 33:243-51. [PMID: 26553225 PMCID: PMC4750733 DOI: 10.3109/02813432.2015.1084766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), to compare drug changes between geriatric and other medical wards, and to investigate the clinical impact of PIMs in acutely hospitalized older adults. SETTING AND SUBJECTS Retrospective study of 232 home-dwelling, multimorbid older adults (aged ≥75 years) acutely admitted to Vestfold Hospital Trust, Norway. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES PIMs were identified by Norwegian general practice (NORGEP) criteria and Beers' 2012 criteria. Clinical correlates were laboratory measures, functional and mental status, physical frailty, and length of stay. RESULTS Mean (SD) age was 86 (5.7) years, and length of stay was 6.5 (4.8) days. During the stay, the mean number of drugs used regularly changed from 7.8 (3.6) to 7.9 (3.6) (p = 0.22), and drugs used pro re nata (prn) changed from 1.4 (1.6) to 2.0 (1.7) (p < 0.001). The prevalence of any PIM changed from 39.2% to 37.9% (p = 0.076), while anticholinergics and benzodiazepines were reduced significantly (p ≤ 0.02). The geriatric ward reduced drug dosages (p < 0.001) and discontinued PIMs (p < 0.001) significantly more often than other medical wards. No relations between number of PIMS and clinical outcomes were identified, but the concomitant use of ≥3 psychotropic/opioid drugs was associated with reduced hand-grip strength (p ≤ 0.012). CONCLUSION Hospitalization did not change polypharmacy or PIMs. Drug treatment was more appropriate on the geriatric than other medical wards. No clinical impact of PIMs was observed, but prescribers should be vigilant about concomitant prescription of ≥3 psychotropics/opioids. KEY POINTS Acute hospitalization of older patients with multimorbidity did not increase polypharmacy or potentially inappropriate medications. Prescription of anticholinergics and benzodiazepines was significantly reduced. The geriatric ward reduced drug dosages and discontinued potentially inappropriate medications more frequently than the other medical wards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hege Kersten
- Correspondence: Hege Kersten, Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Tønsberg, Norway. Tel: + 47 92807875. Fax: +47 35003785.
| | | | - Gløer Gløersen
- The Hospital Pharmacies, Vestfold, South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority, Norway
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Optimizing elderly pharmacotherapy: polypharmacy vs. undertreatment. Are these two concepts related? Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2014; 71:199-207. [DOI: 10.1007/s00228-014-1780-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 10/29/2014] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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A systematic review of prescribing criteria to evaluate appropriateness of medications in frail older people. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1017/s0959259814000161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
SummaryThis study systematically reviews the published literature regarding inappropriate prescribing in frail individuals aged at least 65 years. Twenty-five of 466 identified studies met the inclusion criteria. All papers measured some surrogate indicators of frailty, such as performance-based tests, cognitive function and functional dependency. Beers criteria were used in 20 studies (74%) to evaluate inappropriate medication use and 36% (9/25) studies used more than one criterion. The prevalence of inappropriate medications ranged widely from 11 to 92%. Only a few studies reported the relationship between potentially inappropriate medication use and surrogate measures of frailty. These diverse findings indicate the need for a standardized measure for assessing appropriateness of medication in frail older individuals. Prescribing tools should address both medication and patient-related factors such as life expectancy and functional status to minimize inappropriate prescribing in frail individuals.
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Salvi F, Marchetti A, D'Angelo F, Boemi M, Lattanzio F, Cherubini A. Adverse drug events as a cause of hospitalization in older adults. Drug Saf 2013; 35 Suppl 1:29-45. [PMID: 23446784 DOI: 10.1007/bf03319101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Older adults are about four to seven times more likely than younger persons to experience adverse drug events (ADEs) that cause hospitalization, especially if they are women and take multiple medications. The prevalence of drug-related hospitalizations has been reported to be as high as 31%, with large heterogeneity between different studies, depending on study setting (all hospital admissions or only acute hospital admissions), study population (entire hospital, specific wards, selected population and/or age groups), type of drug-related problem measured (adverse drug reaction or ADE), method of data collection (chart review, spontaneous reporting or database research) and method and definition used to detect ADEs. The higher risk of drug-related hospitalizations in older adults is mainly caused by age-related pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes, a higher number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy, which is often associated with the use of potentially inappropriate drugs. Other factors that have been involved are errors related to prescription or administration of drugs, medication non-adherence and inadequate monitoring of pharmacological therapies. A few commonly used drugs are responsible for the majority of emergency hospitalizations in older subjects, i.e. warfarin, oral antiplatelet agents, insulin and oral hypoglycaemic agents, central nervous system agents. The aims of the present review are to summarize recent evidence concerning drug-related hospitalization in older adults, to assess the contribution of specific medications, and to identify potential interventions able to reduce the occurrence of these drug-related events, as they are, at least partly, potentially preventable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Salvi
- Geriatrics and Geriatric Emergency Care, Italian National Research Centres on Aging (INRCA), Via della Montagnola n. 81, 60127, Ancona, Italy
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An educational intervention to reduce the use of potentially inappropriate medications among older adults (EMPOWER study): protocol for a cluster randomized trial. Trials 2013; 14:80. [PMID: 23514019 PMCID: PMC3621099 DOI: 10.1186/1745-6215-14-80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 03/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Currently, far too many older adults consume inappropriate prescriptions, which increase the risk of adverse drug reactions and unnecessary hospitalizations. A health education program directly informing patients of prescription risks may promote inappropriate prescription discontinuation in chronic benzodiazepine users. Methods/Design This is a cluster randomized controlled trial using a two-arm parallel-design. A total of 250 older chronic benzodiazepine users recruited from community pharmacies in the greater Montreal area will be studied with informed consent. A participating pharmacy with recruited participants represents a cluster, the unit of randomization. For every four pharmacies recruited, a simple 2:2 randomization is used to allocate clusters into intervention and control arms. Participants will be followed for 1 year. Within the intervention clusters, participants will receive a novel educational intervention detailing risks and safe alternatives to their current potentially inappropriate medication, while the control group will be wait-listed for the intervention for 6 months and receive usual care during that time period. The primary outcome is the rate of change in benzodiazepine use at 6 months. Secondary outcomes are changes in risk perception, self-efficacy for discontinuing benzodiazepines, and activation of patients initiating discussions with their physician or pharmacist about safer prescribing practices. An intention-to-treat analysis will be followed. The rate of change of benzodiazepine use will be compared between intervention and control groups at the individual level at the 6-month follow-up. Risk differences between the control and experimental groups will be calculated, and the robust variance estimator will be used to estimate the associated 95% confidence interval (CI). As a sensitivity analysis (and/or if any confounders are unbalanced between the groups), we will estimate the risk difference for the intervention via a marginal model estimated via generalized estimating equations with an exchangeable correlation structure. Discussion Targeting consumers directly as catalysts for engaging physicians and pharmacists in collaborative discontinuation of benzodiazepine drugs is a novel approach to reduce inappropriate prescriptions. By directly empowering chronic users with knowledge about risks, we hope to imitate the success of individually targeted anti-smoking campaigns. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01148186
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Pharmacotherapy in the elderly population is complicated by several factors that increase the risk of drug related harms and poorer adherence. The concept of medication review is a key element in improving the quality of prescribing and the prevention of adverse drug events. While no generally accepted definition of medication review exists, it can be defined as a systematic assessment of the pharmacotherapy of an individual patient that aims to evaluate and optimise patient medication by a change (or not) in prescription, either by a recommendation or by a direct change. Medication review performed in adult hospitalised patients may lead to better patient outcomes. OBJECTIVES We examined whether the delivery of a medication review by a physician, pharmacist or other healthcare professional improves the health outcomes of hospitalised adult patients compared to standard care. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group's Specialised Register (August 2011); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), The Cochrane Library 2011, Issue 8; MEDLINE (1946 to August 2011); EMBASE (1980 to August 2011); CINAHL (1980 to August 2011); International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970 to August 2011); and Web of Science (August 2011). In addition we searched reference lists of included trials and relevant reviews. We searched trials registries and contacted experts to identify additional published and unpublished trials. We did not apply any language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of medication review in hospitalised adult patients. We excluded trials of outclinic and paediatric patients. Our primary outcome was all-cause mortality and secondary outcomes included hospital readmission, emergency department contacts and adverse drug events. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently included trials, extracted data and assessed trials for risk of bias. We contacted trial authors for clarification of data and additional unpublished data. We calculated relative risks for dichotomous data and mean differences for continuous data (with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)). MAIN RESULTS We identified 4647 references and included five trials (1186 participants). Follow-up ranged from 30 days to one year. We found no evidence of effect on all-cause mortality (risk ratio (RR) 0.98; 95% CI 0.78 to 1.23) and hospital readmissions (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.88 to 1.16), but a 36% relative reduction in emergency department contacts (RR 0.64; 95% CI 0.46 to 0.89). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS It is uncertain whether medication review reduces mortality or hospital readmissions, but medication review seems to reduce emergency department contacts. However, the cost-effectiveness of this intervention is not known and due to the uncertainty of the estimates of mortality and readmissions and the short follow-up, important treatment effects may have been overlooked. Therefore, medication review should preferably be undertaken in the context of clinical trials. High quality trials with long follow-up are needed before medication review should be implemented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikkel Christensen
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Topinková E, Baeyens JP, Michel JP, Lang PO. Evidence-based strategies for the optimization of pharmacotherapy in older people. Drugs Aging 2012; 29:477-94. [PMID: 22642782 DOI: 10.2165/11632400-000000000-00000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Geriatric pharmacotherapy represents one of the biggest achievements of modern medical interventions. However, geriatric pharmacotherapy is a complex process that encompasses not only drug prescribing but also age-appropriate drug development and manufacturing, appropriate drug testing in clinical trials, rational and safe prescribing, reliable administration and assessment of drug effects, including adherence measurement and age-appropriate outcomes monitoring. During this complex process, errors can occur at any stage, and intervention strategies to improve geriatric pharmacotherapy are targeted at improving the regulatory processes of drug testing, reducing inappropriate prescribing, preventing beneficial drug underuse and use of potentially harmful drugs, and preventing adverse drug interactions. The aim of this review is to provide an update on selected recent developments in geriatric pharmacotherapy, including age discrimination in drug trials, a new healthcare professional qualification and shared competence in geriatric drug therapy, the usefulness of information and communication technologies, and pharmacogenetics. We also review optimizing strategies aimed at medication adherence focusing on complex elderly patients. Among the current information technologies, there is sufficient evidence that computerized decision-making support systems are modestly but significantly effective in reducing inappropriate prescribing and adverse drug events across healthcare settings. The majority of interventions target physicians, for whom the scientific concept of appropriate prescribing and the acceptability of the alert system used play crucial roles in the intervention's success. For prescribing optimization, results of educational intervention strategies were inconsistent. The more promising strategies involved pharmacists or multidisciplinary teams including geriatric medicine services. However, methodological weaknesses including population and intervention heterogeneity do not allow for comprehensive meta-analyses to determine the clinical value of individual approaches. In relation to drug adherence, a recent meta-analysis of 33 randomized clinical trials in older patients found behavioural interventions had significant effects, and these interventions were more effective than educational interventions. For patients with multiple conditions and polypharmacy, successful interventions included structured medication review, medication regimen simplification, administration aids and medication reminders, but no firm conclusion in favour of any particular intervention could be made. Interventions to optimize geriatric pharmacotherapy focused most commonly on pharmacological outcomes (drug appropriateness, adverse drug events, adherence), providing only limited information about clinical outcomes in terms of health status, morbidity, functionality and overall healthcare costs. Little attention was given to psychosocial and behavioural aspects of pharmacotherapy. There is sufficient potential for improvements in geriatric pharmacotherapy in terms of drug safety and effectiveness. However, just as we require evidence-based, age-specific, pharmacological information for efficient clinical decision making, we need solid evidence for strategies that consistently improve the quality of pharmacological treatments at the health system level to shape 'age-attuned' health and drug policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Topinková
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Espinosa-Bosch M, Santos-Ramos B, Gil-Navarro MV, Santos-Rubio MD, Marín-Gil R, Villacorta-Linaza P. Prevalence of drug interactions in hospital healthcare. Int J Clin Pharm 2012; 34:807-17. [PMID: 22965222 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-012-9697-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2011] [Accepted: 08/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
AIM OF THE REVIEW To study the prevalence of drug interactions in hospital healthcare by reviewing literature. METHOD A review was carried out of studies written in Spanish and English on the prevalence of drug interactions in hospital care published in Pubmed between January 1990 and September 2008. The search strategy combined free text and MeSH terms, using the following keywords: "Drug interaction", "prevalence" and "hospital". For each article, we classified independent variables (pathology, age of population, whether patients were hospitalized or not, geographical location, etc.) and dependent variables (number of interactions per 100 patients studied, prevalence of patients with interactions, most common drug interactions, and others). RESULTS The search generated 436 articles. Finally, 47 articles were selected for the study, 3 provided results about drug interactions with real clinical consequences, 42 about potential interactions, and 2 described both. The prevalence of patients with interactions was between 15 and 45 % and the number of interactions per 100 patients was between 37 and 106, depending on the group of studies analyzed. There was a considerable increase in these rates in patients with heart diseases and elderly persons. CONCLUSION There is a large number of studies on the prevalence of drug interactions in hospitals but they report widely varying results. The prevalence is higher in patients with heart diseases and elderly people.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Espinosa-Bosch
- Servicio de Farmacia, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Avda. Manuel Siurot s/n., 41013, Seville, Spain
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Bakken MS, Ranhoff AH, Engeland A, Ruths S. Inappropriate prescribing for older people admitted to an intermediate-care nursing home unit and hospital wards. Scand J Prim Health Care 2012; 30:169-75. [PMID: 22830533 PMCID: PMC3443941 DOI: 10.3109/02813432.2012.704813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify inappropriate prescribing among older patients on admission to and discharge from an intermediate-care nursing home unit and hospital wards, and to compare changes during stay within and between these groups. DESIGN Observational study. SETTING AND SUBJECTS Altogether 400 community-dwelling people aged ≥ 70 years, on consecutive emergency admittance to hospital wards of internal medicine and orthopaedic surgery, were randomized to an intermediate-care nursing home unit or hospital wards; 290 (157 at the intermediate-care nursing home unit and 133 in hospital wards) were eligible for this sub-study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence on admission and discharge of potentially inappropriate medications (Norwegian general practice [NORGEP] criteria) and drug-drug interactions; changes during stay. RESULTS The mean (SD) age was 84.7 (6.2) years; 71% were women. From admission to discharge, the mean numbers of drugs prescribed per person increased from 6.0 (3.3) to 9.3 (3.8), p < 0.01. The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications increased from 24% to 35%, p < 0.01; concomitant use of ≥ 3 psychotropic/opioid drugs and drug combinations including non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increased significantly. Serious drug-drug interactions were scarce both on admission and discharge (0.7%). CONCLUSIONS Inappropriate prescribing was prevalent among older people acutely admitted to hospital, and the prevalence was not reduced during stay at an intermediate-care nursing home unit specially designed for these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marit Stordal Bakken
- Kavli Research Centre for Ageing and Dementia, Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
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Ellis G, Whitehead MA, Robinson D, O'Neill D, Langhorne P. Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults admitted to hospital: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 2011; 343:d6553. [PMID: 22034146 PMCID: PMC3203013 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.d6553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 654] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment in hospital for older adults admitted as an emergency. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the EPOC Register, Cochrane's Controlled Trials Register, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Medline, Embase, CINAHL, AARP Ageline, and handsearched high yield journals. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials of comprehensive geriatric assessment (whether by mobile teams or in designated wards) compared with usual care. Comprehensive geriatric assessment is a multidimensional interdisciplinary diagnostic process used to determine the medical, psychological, and functional capabilities of a frail elderly person to develop a coordinated and integrated plan for treatment and long term follow-up. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Three independent reviewers assessed eligibility and trial quality and extracted published data. Two additional reviewers moderated. RESULTS Twenty two trials evaluating 10,315 participants in six countries were identified. For the primary outcome "living at home," patients who underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment were more likely to be alive and in their own homes at the end of scheduled follow-up (odds ratio 1.16 (95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.28; P = 0.003; number needed to treat 33) at a median follow-up of 12 months versus 1.25 (1.11 to 1.42; P < 0.001; number needed to treat 17) at a median follow-up of six months) compared with patients who received general medical care. In addition, patients were less likely to be living in residential care (0.78, 0.69 to 0.88; P < 0.001). Subgroup interaction suggested differences between the subgroups "wards" and "teams" in favour of wards. Patients were also less likely to die or experience deterioration (0.76, 0.64 to 0.90; P = 0.001) and were more likely to experience improved cognition (standardised mean difference 0.08, 0.01 to 0.15; P = 0.02) in the comprehensive geriatric assessment group. CONCLUSIONS Comprehensive geriatric assessment increases patients' likelihood of being alive and in their own homes after an emergency admission to hospital. This seems to be especially true for trials of wards designated for comprehensive geriatric assessment and is associated with a potential cost reduction compared with general medical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Ellis
- Medicine for the Elderly, Monklands Hospital, Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK.
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Blozik E, Born AM, Stuck AE, Benninger U, Gillmann G, Clough-Gorr KM. Reduction of inappropriate medications among older nursing-home residents: a nurse-led, pre/post-design, intervention study. Drugs Aging 2011; 27:1009-17. [PMID: 21087070 DOI: 10.2165/11584770-000000000-00000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medication-related problems are common in the growing population of older adults and inappropriate prescribing is a preventable risk factor. Explicit criteria such as the Beers criteria provide a valid instrument for describing the rate of inappropriate medication (IM) prescriptions among older adults. OBJECTIVE To reduce IM prescriptions based on explicit Beers criteria using a nurse-led intervention in a nursing-home (NH) setting. STUDY DESIGN The pre/post-design included IM assessment at study start (pre-intervention), a 4-month intervention period, IM assessment after the intervention period (post-intervention) and a further IM assessment at 1-year follow-up. SETTING 204-bed inpatient NH in Bern, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS NH residents aged ≥60 years. INTERVENTION The intervention included four key intervention elements: (i) adaptation of Beers criteria to the Swiss setting; (ii) IM identification; (iii) IM discontinuation; and (iv) staff training. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE IM prescription at study start, after the 4-month intervention period and at 1-year follow-up. RESULTS The mean ± SD resident age was 80.3 ± 8.8 years. Residents were prescribed a mean ± SD 7.8 ± 4.0 medications. The prescription rate of IMs decreased from 14.5% pre-intervention to 2.8% post-intervention (relative risk [RR] = 0.2; 95% CI 0.06, 0.5). The risk of IM prescription increased nonstatistically significantly in the 1-year follow-up period compared with post-intervention (RR = 1.6; 95% CI 0.5, 6.1). CONCLUSIONS This intervention to reduce IM prescriptions based on explicit Beers criteria was feasible, easy to implement in an NH setting, and resulted in a substantial decrease in IMs. These results underscore the importance of involving nursing staff in the medication prescription process in a long-term care setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Blozik
- Division of Geriatrics, Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Ellis G, Whitehead MA, O’Neill D, Langhorne P, Robinson D. Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults admitted to hospital. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011:CD006211. [PMID: 21735403 PMCID: PMC4164377 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd006211.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 278] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multidimensional, interdisciplinary diagnostic process to determine the medical, psychological and functional capabilities of a frail elderly person in order to develop a co-ordinated and integrated plan for treatment and long-term follow up. OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of CGA in hospital for older adults admitted as an emergency. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library), the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and AARP Ageline, and handsearched high-yield journals. SELECTION CRITERIA We searched for randomised controlled trials comparing CGA (whether by mobile teams or in designated wards) to usual care. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors initially assessed eligibility and trial quality and extracted published data. MAIN RESULTS Twenty-two trials evaluating 10,315 participants in six countries were identified. Patients in receipt of CGA were more likely to be alive and in their own homes at up to six months (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.42, P = 0.0002) and at the end of scheduled follow up (median 12 months) (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.28, P = 0.003) when compared to general medical care. In addition, patients were less likely to be institutionalised (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.88, P < 0.0001). They were less likely to suffer death or deterioration (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.90, P = 0.001), and were more likely to experience improved cognition in the CGA group (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.20 to 2.01, P = 0.02). Subgroup interaction in the primary outcomes suggests that the effects of CGA are primarily the result of CGA wards. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Comprehensive geriatric assessment increases a patient's likelihood of being alive and in their own home at up to 12 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Ellis
- Medicine for the Elderly, Monklands Hospital, Airdrie, UK
| | | | - Desmond O’Neill
- Department of Medical Gerontology, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Peter Langhorne
- Academic Section of Geriatric Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - David Robinson
- Department of Medical Gerontology, Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
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Parsons C, Alldred D, Daiello L, Hughes C. Prescribing for older people in nursing homes: strategies to improve prescribing and medicines use in nursing homes. Int J Older People Nurs 2011; 6:55-62. [PMID: 21303466 DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-3743.2010.00263.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Interventions to improve prescribing in the nursing home environment are many and varied. The critical literature review presented in Paper 1 (Parsons et al., 2011, International Journal of Older People Nursing 6, 45-54) in this series discussed the main issues repeatedly identified as problematic, and this paper summarises the main approaches which have been used to attempt to improve prescribing. These include national legislation which demands documented justification for the prescribing of medicines, medication review, approaches to reducing medication errors, improving communication across care boundaries and assessment teams and alternative service models. It is difficult to make global recommendations as some of these approaches are country specific or have been delivered in different ways, involving different professionals. However, a series of prompt questions have been provided which may assist nursing home staff in deciding whether prescribing is optimal in a resident or if an intervention is required which may lead to an overall improvement in outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carole Parsons
- School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
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Lang PO, Vogt-Ferrier N, Hasso Y, Le Saint L, Dramé M, Zekry D, Huber P, Chamot C, Gattelet P, Prudent M, Gold G, Michel JP. Interdisciplinary geriatric and psychiatric care reduces potentially inappropriate prescribing in the hospital: interventional study in 150 acutely ill elderly patients with mental and somatic comorbid conditions. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2011; 13:406.e1-7. [PMID: 21592866 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2011.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2011] [Revised: 03/25/2011] [Accepted: 03/29/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Potentially inappropriate medications and prescription omissions (PO) are highly prevalent in older patients with mental comorbidities. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of interdisciplinary geriatric and psychiatric care on the appropriateness of prescribing. DESIGN Prospective and interventional study. SETTING Medical-psychiatric unit in an academic geriatric department. PARTICIPANTS Participants were 150 consecutive acutely ill patients aged on average 80.0 ± 8.1 years suffering from mental comorbidities and hospitalized for any acute somatic condition. INTERVENTION From admission to discharge, daily collaboration provided by senior geriatrician and psychiatrist working in a usual geriatric interdisciplinary care team. MEASUREMENTS Potentially inappropriate medications and PO were detected and recorded by a trained independent investigator using STOPP/START criteria at admission and discharge. RESULTS Compared with admission, the intervention reduced the total number of medications prescribed at discharge from 1347 to 790 (P < .0001) and incidence rates for potentially inappropriate medications and PO reduced from 77% to 19% (P < .0001) and from 65% to 11% (P < .0001), respectively. Independent predictive factors for PIP at discharge were being a faller (odds ratio [OR] 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43-2.09) and for PO, the increased number of medications (OR 1.54; 95% CI 1.13-1.89) and a Charlson comorbidity index greater than 2 (OR 1.85; 95% CI 1.38 - 2.13). Dementia and/or presence of psychiatric comorbidities were predictive factors for both potentially inappropriate medications and PO at discharge. CONCLUSION These findings hold substantial promise for the prevention of IP and OP in such a comorbid and polymedicated population. Further evaluations are, however, still needed to determine if such an intervention reduces potentially inappropriate prescribing medication-related outcomes, such as incidence of adverse drug events, rehospitalization, or mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Olivier Lang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Medical School and University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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Gallagher PF, O'Connor MN, O'Mahony D. Prevention of potentially inappropriate prescribing for elderly patients: a randomized controlled trial using STOPP/START criteria. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2011; 89:845-54. [PMID: 21508941 DOI: 10.1038/clpt.2011.44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 360] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Inappropriate prescribing is particularly common in older patients and is associated with adverse drug events (ADEs), hospitalization, and wasteful utilization of resources. We randomized 400 hospitalized patients aged ≥ 65 years to receive either the usual pharmaceutical care (control) or screening with STOPP/START criteria followed up with recommendations to their attending physicians (intervention). The Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) and Assessment of Underutilization (AOU) index were used to assess prescribing appropriateness, both at the time of discharge and for 6 months after discharge. Unnecessary polypharmacy, the use of drugs at incorrect doses, and potential drug-drug and drug-disease interactions were significantly lower in the intervention group at discharge (absolute risk reduction 35.7%, number needed to screen to yield improvement in MAI = 2.8 (95% confidence interval 2.2-3.8)). Underutilization of clinically indicated medications was also reduced (absolute risk reduction 21.2%, number needed to screen to yield reduction in AOU = 4.7 (95% confidence interval 3.4-7.5)). Significant improvements in prescribing appropriateness were sustained for 6 months after discharge.
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Affiliation(s)
- P F Gallagher
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
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Scott I, Jayathissa S. Quality of drug prescribing in older patients: is there a problem and can we improve it? Intern Med J 2011; 40:7-18. [PMID: 19712203 DOI: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2009.02040.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Older patients are at high risk of suboptimal prescribing (overuse, underuse and misuse of drugs), which can lead to serious adverse drug reactions (ADR). About one in four patients admitted to hospital are prescribed at least one inappropriate medication and up to 20% of all inpatient deaths are attributed to potentially preventable ADR. Lists of drugs to avoid (unnecessary or where risks outweigh benefits) and drugs not to be omitted (strong indications if there are no contraindications) can assist in identifying suboptimal prescribing although, to date, no trials have established the ability of such screening, by itself, to improve prescribing quality. Remedial strategies proven to be effective in randomized trials include detailed appraisal of medication lists by multidisciplinary teams, which involve geriatricians and close liaison with specialist clinical pharmacists. A multifaceted quality improvement strategy is proposed that includes an aspirational target of no more than five different drugs be regularly prescribed to vulnerable older patients. Achieving this target involves prioritizing drug selection on the basis of strength of indication which may run counter to current disease-specific clinical guideline recommendations based on trials that have excluded most older patients. Such a strategy is worthy of further evaluation in a multicentre randomized trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Scott
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia.
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Faustino CG, Martins MDA, Jacob Filho W. Potentially inappropriate medication prescribed to elderly outpatients at a general medicine unit. EINSTEIN-SAO PAULO 2011; 9:18-23. [DOI: 10.1590/s1679-45082011ao1844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Objective: To establish the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications prescribed for elderly patients, to identify the most commonly involved drugs, and to investigate whether age, sex and number of medications were related with the prescription of these drugs. Methods: Prescriptions for 1,800 elderly patients (≥ 60 years) were gathered from a database. These prescriptions were written by general physicians at a tertiary level university hospital in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, from February to May 2008. Only one prescription per patient was considered. The prescriptions were classified according to sex and age (60-69, 70-79 and ≥ 80). The Beers criteria (2003 version) were used to evaluate potentially inappropriate medications. Results: Most of the sample comprised women (66.6%) with a mean age of 71.3 years. The mean prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication prescriptions was 37.6%. The 60-69 age group presented the highest prevalence (49.9%). The most frequently prescribed potentially inappropriate medications to women were carisoprodol, amitriptyline, and fluoxetine; amitriptyline, carisoprodol, fluoxetine and clonidine were prescribed more often to men. The female sex (p<0.001; OR=2.0) and number of medications prescribed (p<0.001) were associated with prescription of potentially inappropriate medications. The chance of having a prescription of these drugs was lower among patients aged over 80 years (OR=0.7). The mean number of prescribed medications for both sexes and all age groups was 7.1. The mean number of medications per patient was higher among females (p<0.001); this result was not age-dependent (p=0.285). Conclusion: The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications was similar to previously reported values in the literature and was correlated with the female sex. The chance of having a potentially inappropriate medication prescription was lower among patients aged over 80 years. The chance of having a potentially inappropriate medications prescription increased proportionally with the number of medications prescribed (≥ 5).
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Somers A, Robays H, Audenaert K, Van Maele G, Bogaert M, Petrovic M. The use of hypnosedative drugs in a university hospital: has anything changed in 10 years? Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2011; 67:723-9. [PMID: 21279338 DOI: 10.1007/s00228-010-0983-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2010] [Accepted: 12/14/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
AIM Our goal was to investigate the use of hypnosedatives (HSs) before and during hospitalization, explore the relationship between their use and various demographic and clinical variables, and compare the results with data from a similar 2000 study with particular interest in adherence to hospital formulary guidelines. METHODS A cross-sectional observational survey of 326 hospitalized patients recruited from ten wards of the Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium, with a patient interview and by evaluating medical and nursing files. RESULTS In 30.7% of patients, the use of a HS before admission was reported. According to the patient interview, 33.1% used a HS during hospitalization. However, according to medical and nursing files, use of HSs in the hospital was 10% higher (43.3%). In 19.4% of patients who took HSs before admission, their use was discontinued in the hospital. In 15.6% of patients who took no HS before admission, a HS was started in the hospital, according to the formulary guidelines (data from files). There was a positive correlation between HS use in the hospital and older age, longer hospitalization, not coming from home, higher number of HSs taken before hospitalization, sleeping problems emerging during hospitalization, and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. In comparison with 2000, we registered a slight decrease in HS use during hospitalization and a decrease in the number of newly started patients. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of HS use in our university hospital is high, mostly as a result of continuation of HSs started before admission, as there seems to be no general policy of active cessation. Compared with the survey performed 10 years ago, fewer hospitalized patients are newly started on HSs, and when this is the case, the formulary guidelines are followed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemie Somers
- Department of Pharmacy, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
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45
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Lampela P, Hartikainen S, Lavikainen P, Sulkava R, Huupponen R. Effects of medication assessment as part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment on drug use over a 1-year period: a population-based intervention study. Drugs Aging 2010; 27:507-21. [PMID: 20524710 DOI: 10.2165/11536650-000000000-00000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
High drug consumption among the elderly and inappropriate prescribing practices increase the risk of adverse drug effects in this population. This risk may be decreased by conducting, for example, a medication review alone or as part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA); however, little is known about the fate of the changes in medication made as a result of the CGA or medication review. To study the performance of the CGA with regards to medication changes and to determine the persistence of these changes over a 1-year period. This study was a population-based intervention study. A random sample of 1000 elderly (age > or =75 years) was randomized either to a CGA group or to a control group. Home-dwelling patients from these groups (n = 331 and n = 313 for intervention and control groups, respectively) were analysed in this study. Study nurses collected information on medication at study entry and 1 year later in both groups; in the intervention group, study physicians assessed, and changed when appropriate, the medication at study entry. The medication changes and their persistence over 1 year were then evaluated. Medication changes were more frequent in the intervention group than in the control group. Regular medication was changed during follow-up in 277 (83.7%) and in 228 (72.8%) [odds ratio (OR) 1.9; 95% CI 1.3, 2.8] patients in the intervention and control groups, respectively. In the intervention group, study physicians were responsible for 35.4% of all new prescriptions and for 15.6% of all drug terminations. Changes took place particularly in the prescription of CNS drugs. About 58% of the drugs initiated by study physicians were still in use 1 year later, and 25.5% of those terminated by study physicians had been reintroduced. Drug intervention as part of a CGA can be used to rationalize the drug therapy of a patient. However, its effectiveness is subsequently partly counteracted by other physicians working in the healthcare system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasi Lampela
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.
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Kaur S, Mitchell G, Vitetta L, Roberts MS. Interventions that can reduce inappropriate prescribing in the elderly: a systematic review. Drugs Aging 2010; 26:1013-28. [PMID: 19929029 DOI: 10.2165/11318890-000000000-00000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 220] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Inappropriate prescribing of medicines may lead to a significant risk of an adverse drug-related event. In particular, prescribing may be regarded as inappropriate when alternative therapy that is either more effective or associated with a lower risk exists to treat the same condition. This review aims to identify interventions and strategies that can significantly reduce inappropriate prescribing in the elderly. The review is based on a search of electronic databases using synonyms of keywords such as 'elderly', 'interventions', 'optimized prescribing' and 'inappropriate prescribing' to identify reported interventions intended to improve inappropriate prescribing in the elderly. A total of 711 articles published in English were retrieved and considered. Of these, 24 original studies, involving 56 to 124,802 participants, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. In 16 studies, the statistical power used to assess the impact of the intervention was >90% at a significance level of alpha=0.05. Various interventions were included in this study, such as educational interventions, medication reviews, geriatricians' services, multidisciplinary teams, computerized support systems, regulatory policies and multi-faceted approaches. Because of variability in assessment methodologies, mixed responses were found for education interventions aimed at improving inappropriate prescribing. For example, some studies did not assess what data were required to define whether a given level of intervention would be adequate, and others did not consider how many participants would be needed to demonstrate that a significant difference existed. Each of the three computerized support system interventions reported produced a significant enhancement in both prescribing and dispensing practices. Pharmacist interventions in community and hospital settings were evaluated in seven studies. However, variable criteria were used, with two studies using the Medication Appropriateness Index, another two studies using self-designed criteria for inappropriate prescribing, and the remaining three studies using Beers' criteria. A difficulty in assessing studies involving nursing home residents is that both consultant pharmacists and onsite pharmacist services may be involved, and, in one of the studies, only the role of the consultant pharmacist was considered. One of the most effective interventions appeared to be multidisciplinary case conferences involving a geriatrician, which resulted in a number of examples of reduced inappropriate prescribing in both community and hospital settings. As the effect of regulatory policies as an intervention is dependent on the target population involved, the effectiveness of this type of intervention was variable. Different strategies may be useful in reducing inappropriate prescribing in the elderly. It is not clear whether combined strategies undertaken simultaneously have a synergistic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukhpreet Kaur
- Therapeutics Research Unit, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
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Latour J, Lebel P, Leclerc BS, Leduc N, Berg K, Bolduc A, Kergoat MJ. Short-term geriatric assessment units: 30 years later. BMC Geriatr 2010; 10:41. [PMID: 20569433 PMCID: PMC2904338 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2318-10-41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2010] [Accepted: 06/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The increasing number of hospitalized elderly persons has greatly challenged decision makers to reorganize services so as to meet the needs of this clientele. Established progressively over the last 30 years, the short-term Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU) is a specialized care program, now implemented in all the general hospital centres in Quebec. Within the scope of a broader reflection upon the appropriate care delivery for elderly patients in our demographic context, there is a need to revisit the role of GAU within the hospital and the continuum of care. The objective of this project is to describe the range of activities offered by Quebec GAU and the resources available to them. Methods In 2004, 64 managers of 71 GAU answered a mail questionnaire which included 119 items covering their unit's operation and resources in 2002-2003. The clinical and administrative characteristics of the clientele admitted during this period were obtained from the provincial database Med-Echo. The results were presented according to the geographical location of GAU, their size, their university academic affiliation, the composition of their medical staff, and their clinical care profile. Results Overall, GAU programs admitted 9% of all patients aged 65 years and older in the surveyed year. GAU patients presented one or more geriatric syndromes, including dementia. Based on their clientele, three distinct clinical care profiles of GAU were identified. Only 19% of GAU were focused on geriatric assessment and acute care management; 23% mainly offered rehabilitation care, and the others offered a mix of both types. Thus, there was a significant heterogeneity in GAU's operation. Conclusions The GAU is at the cutting edge of geriatric services in hospital centres. Given the scarcity of these resources, it would be appropriate to better target the clientele that may benefit from them. Standardizing and promoting GAU's primary role in acute care must be reinforced. In order to meet the needs of the frail elderly not admitted in GAU, alternative care models centered on prevention of functional decline must be applied throughout all hospital wards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Latour
- Research Centre, Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Chemin Queen-Mary, Montréal (QC), H3W 1W5, Canada
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Page RL, Linnebur SA, Bryant LL, Ruscin JM. Inappropriate prescribing in the hospitalized elderly patient: defining the problem, evaluation tools, and possible solutions. Clin Interv Aging 2010; 5:75-87. [PMID: 20396637 PMCID: PMC2854054 DOI: 10.2147/cia.s9564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) prescribing in older adults is quite prevalent and is associated with an increased risk for adverse drug events, morbidity, and utilization of health care resources. In the acute care setting, PIM prescribing can be even more problematic due to multiple physicians and specialists who may be prescribing for a single patient as well as difficulty with medication reconciliation at transitions and limitations imposed by hospital formularies. This article highlights critical issues surrounding PIM prescribing in the acute care setting such as risk factors, screening tools, and potential strategies to minimize this significant public health problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Page
- Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Physical Medicine, Clinical Specialist, Division of Cardiology and Heart Transplantation.
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Jyrkkä J, Enlund H, Korhonen MJ, Sulkava R, Hartikainen S. Patterns of drug use and factors associated with polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy in elderly persons: results of the Kuopio 75+ study: a cross-sectional analysis. Drugs Aging 2009; 26:493-503. [PMID: 19591524 DOI: 10.2165/00002512-200926060-00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although the increasing use of drugs in elderly persons has raised many concerns in recent years, the process leading to polypharmacy (PP) and excessive polypharmacy (EPP) remains largely unknown. OBJECTIVE To describe the number and type of drugs used and to evaluate the role of different factors associated with PP (i.e. 6-9 drugs) and EPP (i.e. > or =10 drugs), with special reference to the number and type of medical diagnoses and symptoms, in a population of home-dwelling elderly persons aged > or =75 years. METHODS The study was a cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort in 1998. The population consisted of home-dwelling elderly persons aged > or =75 years in the city of Kuopio, Finland. The data for the analysis were obtained from the Kuopio 75+ Study, which drew a random sample of 700 elderly residents aged > or =75 years living in the city of Kuopio from the population register. Of these, 601 attended a structured clinical examination and an interview carried out by a geriatrician and a trained nurse in 1998. For this analysis, all home-dwelling elderly participants (n = 523) were included. Study data were expressed as proportions and means with standard deviations. The factors associated with PP and EPP were examined by multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS The most commonly used drugs were cardiovascular drugs (97% in EPP, 94% in PP and 59% in non-PP group) and analgesics (89%, 76% and 54%), respectively. Use of psychotropics was markedly higher in the EPP group (77%) than in the PP (42%) and non-PP groups (20%). The mean number of drugs per diagnosis was 3.6 in the EPP group, 2.6 in the PP group and 1.6 in the non-PP group. Factors associated only with EPP were moderate self-reported health (odds ratio [OR] 2.05; 95% CI 1.08, 3.89), female gender (OR 2.43; 95% CI 1.27, 4.65) and age > or =85 years (OR 2.84; 95% CI 1.41, 5.72). Factors that were associated with both PP and EPP included poor self-reported health (PP: OR 2.15; 95% CI 1.01, 4.59 and EPP: OR 6.02; 95% CI 2.55, 14.20), diabetes mellitus (PP: OR 2.28; 95% CI 1.26, 4.15 and EPP: OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.03, 4.18), depression (PP: OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.16, 3.90 and EPP: OR 2.93; 95% CI 1.51, 5.66), pain (PP: OR 2.69; 95% CI 1.68, 4.30 and EPP: OR 2.74; 95% CI 1.56, 4.82), heart disease (PP: OR 2.51; 95% CI 1.54, 4.08 and EPP: OR 4.63; 95% CI 2.45, 8.74) and obstructive pulmonary disease (including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) [PP: OR 2.79; 95% CI 1.24, 6.25 and EPP: OR 6.82; 95% CI 2.87, 16.20]. CONCLUSION The study indicates that the factors associated with PP and EPP are not uniform. Age > or =85 years, female gender and moderate self-reported health were factors associated only with EPP, while poor self-reported health and several specific disease states were associated with both PP and EPP. The high number of drugs per diagnosis observed in this study calls for a thorough assessment of the need for and outcomes associated with use of these drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Jyrkkä
- School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.
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Castelino RL, Bajorek BV, Chen TF. Targeting suboptimal prescribing in the elderly: a review of the impact of pharmacy services. Ann Pharmacother 2009; 43:1096-106. [PMID: 19470856 DOI: 10.1345/aph.1l700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To review the currently available literature on the impact of interventions by pharmacists on suboptimal prescribing in the elderly. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, EMBASE, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts databases were searched for studies published between January 1992 and December 2008. Key words included medication review, drug regimen review, pharmaceutical services, pharmaceutical care, pharmacists, medications, appropriateness, suboptimal, underuse, aged, elderly, randomized controlled trial, inappropriate, prescribing, and intervention. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION To be included in the review, studies must have been conducted in patients 65 years or older, published in English, randomized and controlled, and must have included an intervention delivered by a pharmacist or had a pharmacist as a member of the intervention team. From each relevant study, the following data were extracted: study duration, country, number of patients, year of publication, objective, type and impact of the intervention, method used to assess suboptimal prescribing, and data concerning the quality of the study. DATA SYNTHESIS A total of 38 articles were identified, of which 12 matched our inclusion criteria. Seven articles included interventions initiated by pharmacists, and the remaining 5 described interventions in which the pharmacist was a part of the multidisciplinary team. A broad range of tools was used to measure prescribing appropriateness; we found that a consensus on the best approach has not been reached. Most of the studies involving pharmacists showed significant improvement in suboptimal prescribing at one or more time points. However, most of these interventions were directed toward reducing the overuse or misuse of medications. CONCLUSIONS Pharmacy services to reduce suboptimal prescribing have shown promising and noteworthy improvements. More research is needed to address the underutilization of medications in the elderly and healthcare impact of reducing suboptimal prescribing.
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