Inger Nordin Olsson1, Bengt Curman, Peter Engfeldt. 1. Family Medicine Research Centre, School of Health and Medical Sciences, Orebro University, Orebro, Sweden. inger.nordin-olsson@orebroll.se
Abstract
PURPOSE: To examine whether patient focused drug surveillance was associated with a higher quality of drug treatment at nursing homes. METHODS: An intervention study in four nursing homes in Sweden and four other nursing homes served as controls. At the intervention nursing homes physicians focused on patients' health status as a baseline for further ongoing medication. The outcomes were mortality, health care consumption, and number of drugs, health status and evaluations as parameters for "quality of drug treatment". RESULTS: There were no significant differences in mortality rates. Health care consumption and polypharmacy were extensive in both groups. There was a significant reduction of number of drugs used per patient at the intervention homes during the study (p < 0.05). Monitoring and evaluation of the effects of medications were significantly more frequent at the intervention homes (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention resulted in significant positive results in relation to "quality of drug treatment", a shift in health care utilization with concomitant use of fewer drugs. The study showed an extreme shortage of monitoring of health status and surveillance of the effects of drugs in the elderly. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PURPOSE: To examine whether patient focused drug surveillance was associated with a higher quality of drug treatment at nursing homes. METHODS: An intervention study in four nursing homes in Sweden and four other nursing homes served as controls. At the intervention nursing homes physicians focused on patients' health status as a baseline for further ongoing medication. The outcomes were mortality, health care consumption, and number of drugs, health status and evaluations as parameters for "quality of drug treatment". RESULTS: There were no significant differences in mortality rates. Health care consumption and polypharmacy were extensive in both groups. There was a significant reduction of number of drugs used per patient at the intervention homes during the study (p < 0.05). Monitoring and evaluation of the effects of medications were significantly more frequent at the intervention homes (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention resulted in significant positive results in relation to "quality of drug treatment", a shift in health care utilization with concomitant use of fewer drugs. The study showed an extreme shortage of monitoring of health status and surveillance of the effects of drugs in the elderly. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Authors: K P G M Hurkens; C Mestres-Gonzalvo; H A J M de Wit; P H M van der Kuy; R Janknegt; F Verhey; J M G A Schols; C D A Stehouwer; B Winkens; W Mulder Journal: J Nutr Health Aging Date: 2016-01 Impact factor: 4.075
Authors: Tim Johansson; Muna E Abuzahra; Sophie Keller; Eva Mann; Barbara Faller; Christina Sommerauer; Jennifer Höck; Christin Löffler; Anna Köchling; Jochen Schuler; Maria Flamm; Andreas Sönnichsen Journal: Br J Clin Pharmacol Date: 2016-05-07 Impact factor: 4.335