Need for supervision in the elderly receiving long-term prescribed medication.

Medication for 127 randomly selected patients aged over 70 in a large group practice was examined in relation to the available supervision for this treatment. About half the patients were on long-term treatment, mainly drugs associated with heart disease, depression, or anxiety. Nineteen had had no recorded contact with the family doctor for six months or longer, and examination by nurse surveillance suggested that three might be suffering from drug toxicity. It was concluded that reliance on self-referral by elderly patients was unsafe.