Drug prescribing in residential homes for elderly people in the United Kingdom.

Data relating to the use of medicines from a descriptive epidemiologic study of drug use in 55 residential homes for elderly people in Britain were analyzed. Of the 1888 residents included in the study, 1617 (85.6 percent) received a total of 5535 medicines. The median number of medicines received per day was three and the per-day range varied from one to thirteen medicines. Significantly more women than men received medicines and women also received more medicines each. The most frequently prescribed group of medicines were those acting on the central nervous (34.0 percent), the cardiovascular (27.2 percent), and on the gastrointestinal (8.9 percent) systems. Deficiencies were identified in doses, duration, and selection of drugs in certain therapeutic groups.