Treatment of anemia among women with chronic kidney disease in United States outpatient settings

Polypharmacy and Cognition Function Among Rural Adults

BACKGROUND

Polypharmacy (using≥5 medications) is associated with poor health outcomes. Mixed results from past studies surrounding chronic medication use, control of chronic conditions, and their effects on cognitive performance warrant further attention.

OBJECTIVE

Investigate a link between polypharmacy and cognition function in rural-dwelling adults in Texas, USA.

METHODS

Project FRONTIER (Facing Rural Obstacles to Healthcare Now Through Intervention, Education & Research) is a cross-sectional epidemiological study using community-based participatory research in three counties of Texas. Residents age > 40 were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome is cognitive impairment, and exposures of interest are polypharmacy; comorbidities; and diabetes, hypertension, and depression medication. Logistic regression was used to assess association.

RESULTS

Six hundred eighty-nine individuals participated; the mean age was 61, and the majority were female (68.7%).The median number of medications taken by participants was 3.3 (IQR: 0-5); the rate of polypharmacy was 29.6%. Anti-hypertensive agents were the most common medications (15%) used. Polypharmacy users were 2.84 times more likely to have cognitive impairment [OR: 2.84, 95%CI (1.32-6.09)] than those using < 5 medications. Participants on hypertensive medications had 1.85 times higher odds [OR: 1.85, 95%CI (1.14-3.01)] of having cognitive impairment than those who did not have cognitive impairment.

CONCLUSION

Polypharmacy increases the odds of cognitive impairment. The odds of presenting with cognitive impairment increased as the number of medications increased. Additionally, we identified a large, concerning number of participants with pharmacotherapy and poor chronic disease management. A larger study should examine medication adherence among rural elders to manage chronic disease and any healthcare barriers to adherence.

Level, pattern, and determinants of polypharmacy and inappropriate use of medications by village doctors in a rural area of Bangladesh

OBJECTIVE

Village doctors, informal health care providers practicing modern medicine, are dominant health care providers in rural Bangladesh. Given their role, it is important to examine their prescription pattern and inappropriate use of medication.

METHODS

These cross-sectional study data were collected through surveys of patients seen by village doctors during 2008 and 2010 at Chakaria, a typical rural area of Bangladesh. Categorization of appropriate, inappropriate, and harmful prescriptions by disease conditions was based on guidelines defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Government of Bangladesh. Analytical categorization of polypharmacy was defined when five or more medications were prescribed for a patient at a single visit.

FINDINGS

A total of 2,587 prescriptions were written by village doctors during the survey periods. Among the prescriptions were appropriate (10%), inappropriate (8%), combination of appropriate and inappropriate (63%), and harmful medications (19%). Village doctors with more than high school education were 53% less likely (odds ratio [OR]: 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26-0.86) to give polypharmacy prescriptions than those with less than high school education. While exploring determinants of prescribing inappropriate and harmful medications, this study found that polypharmacy prescriptions were six times more likely [OR: 6.00, 95% CI: 3.88-9.29] to have harmful medications than prescriptions with <5 medications.

CONCLUSION

Village doctors' training and supervision may improve the quality of services and establish accountability for the benefit of the rural population.