Amelia Troncoso-Mariño1,2, Tomás López-Jiménez3,4, Albert Roso-Llorach3,4, Noemí Villén1, Ester Amado-Guirado1, Marina Guisado-Clavero3,4, Sergio Fernández-Bertolin3,4, Mariona Pons Vigues3,4,5, Quintí Foguet-Boreu3,4,6,7, Concepción Violán3,4. 1. Àrea del Medicament i Servei de Farmàcia, Gerència Territorial de Barcelona, Institut Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain. 2. Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Barcelona and IDIBELL. L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. 3. Central Research Unit, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGol), Barcelona, Spain. 4. Departament de Pediatria, d'Obstetrícia i Ginecologia i de Medicina Preventiva, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain. 5. Àrea de Serveis Assistencials, Servei Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain. 6. Department of Psychiatry, Vic University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain. 7. Department of Basic and Methodological Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine medication-related problems (MRPs) in primary care patients over 65 years of age. METHODS: Cross-sectional study based on the electronic health records of patients (65-99 years of age) visited in 284 primary health care centers during 2012 in Catalonia. VARIABLES: age, sex, sociodemographic variables, number of drugs, kidney and liver function and MRPs (duplicate therapy, drug-drug interactions, potentially inappropriate medications [PIMs] and drugs contraindicated in chronic kidney disease and in liver diseases). Unconditional logistic regression models were used to identify the factors associated with MRPs in patients with multimorbidity. RESULTS: 916 619 older people were included and 853 085 of them met the criteria for multimorbidity. Median age was 75 years and 57.7% of them were women. High percentages of MRPs were observed: PIMs (62.8%), contraindicated drugs in chronic kidney disease (12.1%), duplicate therapy (11.1%), contraindicated drugs in liver diseases (4.2%), and drug-drug interactions (1.0%). These numbers were higher in the subgroup of patients with ≥10 diseases. The most common PIMs were connected to drugs that increase the risk of fall (66.8%), antiulcer agents without criteria for gastroprotection (40.6%), and the combination of drugs with anticholinergic effects (39.7%). In the multivariate analysis, the variables associated with all MRPs among the patients with multimorbidity were the number of drugs and the number of visits. CONCLUSIONS: The coexistence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy is associated with an elevated risk of MRPs in older people. Medication safety for older patients constitutes a pressing concern for health services.
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine medication-related problems (MRPs) in primary care patients over 65 years of age. METHODS: Cross-sectional study based on the electronic health records of patients (65-99 years of age) visited in 284 primary health care centers during 2012 in Catalonia. VARIABLES: age, sex, sociodemographic variables, number of drugs, kidney and liver function and MRPs (duplicate therapy, drug-drug interactions, potentially inappropriate medications [PIMs] and drugs contraindicated in chronic kidney disease and in liver diseases). Unconditional logistic regression models were used to identify the factors associated with MRPs in patients with multimorbidity. RESULTS: 916 619 older people were included and 853 085 of them met the criteria for multimorbidity. Median age was 75 years and 57.7% of them were women. High percentages of MRPs were observed: PIMs (62.8%), contraindicated drugs in chronic kidney disease (12.1%), duplicate therapy (11.1%), contraindicated drugs in liver diseases (4.2%), and drug-drug interactions (1.0%). These numbers were higher in the subgroup of patients with ≥10 diseases. The most common PIMs were connected to drugs that increase the risk of fall (66.8%), antiulcer agents without criteria for gastroprotection (40.6%), and the combination of drugs with anticholinergic effects (39.7%). In the multivariate analysis, the variables associated with all MRPs among the patients with multimorbidity were the number of drugs and the number of visits. CONCLUSIONS: The coexistence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy is associated with an elevated risk of MRPs in older people. Medication safety for older patients constitutes a pressing concern for health services.
Authors: Solène M Laville; Marie Metzger; Bénédicte Stengel; Christian Jacquelinet; Christian Combe; Denis Fouque; Maurice Laville; Luc Frimat; Carole Ayav; Elodie Speyer; Bruce M Robinson; Ziad A Massy; Sophie Liabeuf Journal: Br J Clin Pharmacol Date: 2018-09-24 Impact factor: 4.335
Authors: Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga; Beatriz Poblador-Plou; Francisca González-Rubio; Luis Andrés Gimeno-Feliu; José María Abad-Díez; Alexandra Prados-Torres Journal: Br J Gen Pract Date: 2012-12 Impact factor: 5.386