Drug-related hospital admissions among old people with dementia

• PURPOSE: Drug treatment associated problems are common and are the cause of a large proportion of hospitalizations in oldpeople. People with dementia are especially at risk of drug-related problems. The objectives of this study were to assess the occurrence and character of drug-related problems that lead to acute hospital admissions among old people (≥65 years) with dementia or cognitive impairment.METHODS: This study was conducted in orthopedic and internal medicine wards in two hospitals in Northern Sweden. Information about acute admissions was collected from the medical records. A total of 458 people aged 65 years or older with dementia or cognitive impairment were included in the study. The contribution of drug-related problems to each hospitalization was assessed.RESULTS: Of 458 acute hospital admissions, 189 (41.3 %) were determined to be drug-related. The most common drug-relatedproblem (86/189; 45.5 %) was an adverse drug reaction. In total, 264 drugs were judged to be involved in 189 drug-relatedadmissions, of which cardiovascular (29.5 %) and psychotropic (26.9 %) drugs were the most commonly involved drug classes. The relationship between the drug-related problem and the admission was judged certain in 25 cases, probable in 78 cases, and possible in 86 cases. Drug-related admissions were more common among people taking more drugs (p = 0.035) and among younger patients (p = 0.031).CONCLUSION: Drug-related problems appear to be responsible for a major proportion of hospitalizations among old peoplewith dementia or cognitive impairment. Targeted interventions such as education and medication reviews may be warranted to reduce drug-related problems.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Geriatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Geriatrics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Old people

Dementia

Drug-related problems

Drug-related hospitalizations

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

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