Ana I Plácido1, Maria Teresa Herdeiro2, Manuel Morgado3, Adolfo Figueiras4, Fátima Roque5. 1. Research Unit for Inland Development, Polytechnic of Guarda, Guarda, Portugal. 2. Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal. 3. Research Unit for Inland Development, Polytechnic of Guarda, Guarda, Portugal; Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal; Pharmaceutical Services of Hospital Centre of Cova da Beira, Covilhã, Portugal. 4. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública-CIBERESP), Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Institute of Health Research of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. 5. Research Unit for Inland Development, Polytechnic of Guarda, Guarda, Portugal; Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal. Electronic address: froque@ipg.pt.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The complex combination of medicines associated with age-related physiological alterations leads older adults to experience drug-related problems (DRPs). The goal of this study was to review the frequency and type of DRPs and DRP risk factors in home-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A MEDLINE PubMed and EMBASE scientific databases search was performed. Articles published from January 2000 through December 2018 reporting DRPs in home-dwelling older adults were included. FINDINGS: From 668 articles screened, 13 met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. Overall, the studies included 8935 home-dwelling patients. The mean number of DRPs per patient observed was 4.16 (1.37-10). The main causes of DRPs were "drug selection" (51.41%), "dose selection" (11.62%), and "patient related" (10.70%) problems. The drug classes more frequently associated with DRPs were "cardiovascular system," "alimentary tract and metabolism," and "nervous system," and they represented 32.1%, 29.4%, and 16.5% of all drug selection problems, respectively. Respiratory system medicines accounted for 6.65% of all DRPs, of which "patient related" problems accounted for 97.28%. IMPLICATIONS: Despite the heterogeneity of methodology of the included studies and the heterogeneity of tools used to identify DRPs, this analysis clearly shows the high prevalence of DRPs in home-dwelling older adults and highlights the need for interventions to improve medicine use in this population. This work also provides useful information for the development of strategies to improve medication use in home-dwelling older adults.
PURPOSE: The complex combination of medicines associated with age-related physiological alterations leads older adults to experience drug-related problems (DRPs). The goal of this study was to review the frequency and type of DRPs and DRP risk factors in home-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A MEDLINE PubMed and EMBASE scientific databases search was performed. Articles published from January 2000 through December 2018 reporting DRPs in home-dwelling older adults were included. FINDINGS: From 668 articles screened, 13 met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. Overall, the studies included 8935 home-dwelling patients. The mean number of DRPs per patient observed was 4.16 (1.37-10). The main causes of DRPs were "drug selection" (51.41%), "dose selection" (11.62%), and "patient related" (10.70%) problems. The drug classes more frequently associated with DRPs were "cardiovascular system," "alimentary tract and metabolism," and "nervous system," and they represented 32.1%, 29.4%, and 16.5% of all drug selection problems, respectively. Respiratory system medicines accounted for 6.65% of all DRPs, of which "patient related" problems accounted for 97.28%. IMPLICATIONS: Despite the heterogeneity of methodology of the included studies and the heterogeneity of tools used to identify DRPs, this analysis clearly shows the high prevalence of DRPs in home-dwelling older adults and highlights the need for interventions to improve medicine use in this population. This work also provides useful information for the development of strategies to improve medication use in home-dwelling older adults.
Authors: Marie-Laure Laroche; Thi Hong Van Ngo; Caroline Sirois; Amélie Daveluy; Michel Guillaumin; Marie-Blanche Valnet-Rabier; Muriel Grau; Barbara Roux; Louis Merle Journal: Eur Geriatr Med Date: 2021-03-20 Impact factor: 1.710
Authors: Ana Isabel Plácido; Maria Teresa Herdeiro; João Lindo Simões; Odete Amaral; Adolfo Figueiras; Fátima Roque Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-09-04 Impact factor: 3.390