Medication use and cognitive impairment among residents of aged care facilities

Symptomatic and Preventive Medication Use before and after Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis: A 10-Year Matched Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate longitudinal changes in symptomatic and preventive medication use among community-dwelling people with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD) 5 years pre- and post-AD diagnosis.

DESIGN

Retrospective matched cohort study.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

The sample comprised 58,496 people with a geriatrician/neurologist-verified AD diagnosis matched 1:1 for age, sex, and region to people without AD in Finland.

METHODS

Medication dispensing data were obtained from the Finnish Prescription Register. Prevalence of symptomatic and preventive medication use was evaluated every 6 months from 5 years pre- to post-AD diagnosis. Longitudinal changes in medication use between people with and without AD were compared using ordinal logistic regression.

RESULTS

During the 5 years pre- and post-diagnosis, there were differences in symptomatic (P < .001) and preventive (P = .006) medication use between people with and without AD. Over the 5 years pre-diagnosis, prevalence of symptomatic and preventive medications increased in both people with and without AD. During the 1 year pre-diagnosis, people with AD had a higher increase in use of ≥3 symptomatic medications (+4.4% vs +2.2%) and ≥3 preventive medications (+6.4% vs +2.9%) compared to people without AD. Over the 5 years post-diagnosis, symptomatic medication use plateaued in both people with and without AD. Meanwhile, people using ≥3 preventive medications decreased (-6.0%) in those with AD, but increased (+6.1%) in those without AD. During the follow-up period, people with AD had a larger absolute percentage increase in prevalence of antipsychotics (+22.7% vs +1.8%) and antidepressants (+19.1% vs +5.0%) than people without AD. During the same period, paracetamol and calcium supplement use increased by 31.1% and 20.4%, respectively, among people with AD. The largest absolute percentage decrease in prevalence of preventive medications over the 5 years post-diagnosis were beta-blockers (-9.8%) and statins (-7.0%) in people with AD.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

At the point of and following diagnosis, there were population-level changes in medication use among people with AD. Medication assessments during this period appear to coincide with discontinuation of preventive medications whereas minimal changes were observed in symptomatic medication use.

Building Medication Profiles in the Elderly: a Qualitative Study Based on Medication Information Literacy in a Long-Term Care Facility

Purpose

Long-term care facilities are increasingly challenged with meeting the diverse healthcare needs of the elderly population, particularly concerning medication management. Understanding medication information literacy and behavior among this demographic is imperative. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to explore medication information literacy and develop distinct medication profiles among elderly long-term care residents.

Material and Methods

In this study, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 32 participants aged 65 or older residing in a long-term care facility. The interviews were designed to explore participants' understanding of medication information, medication management practices, and experiences with healthcare providers. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the interview data, allowing for the identification of common patterns and themes related to medication-taking behavior among the elderly residents.

Results

The thematic analysis revealed four distinct medication behavior profiles among the elderly long-term care residents: (1) Proactive Health Self-Managers, (2) Medication Information Adherents, (3) Experience-Based Medication Users, and (4) Nonadherent Medication Users. These findings provide valuable insights into the diverse approaches to medication management within long-term care facilities and underscore the importance of tailored interventions to support the specific needs of each profile.

Conclusion

This study highlights the necessity for tailored medication education and support to optimize medication management for the elderly. With the aging population expansion, addressing the unique medication challenges within long-term care facilities becomes increasingly critical. This research contributes to ongoing endeavors to enhance healthcare services for the elderly, striving for safer and more effective medication-taking behavior.

Association of the Drug Burden Index (DBI) exposure with outcomes: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

The Drug Burden Index (DBI) measures an individual's total exposure to anticholinergic and sedative medications. This systematic review aimed to investigate the association of the DBI with clinical and prescribing outcomes in observational pharmaco-epidemiological studies, and the effect of DBI exposure on functional outcomes in pre-clinical models.

METHODS

A systematic search of nine electronic databases, citation indexes and gray literature was performed (April 1, 2007-December 31, 2022). Studies that reported primary data on the association of the DBI with clinical or prescribing outcomes conducted in any setting in humans aged ≥18 years or animals were included. Quality assessment was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools and the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation risk of bias tool.

RESULTS

Of 2382 studies screened, 70 met the inclusion criteria (65 in humans, five in animals). In humans, outcomes reported included function (n = 56), cognition (n = 20), falls (n = 14), frailty (n = 7), mortality (n = 9), quality of life (n = 8), hospitalization (n = 7), length of stay (n = 5), readmission (n = 1), other clinical outcomes (n = 15) and prescribing outcomes (n = 2). A higher DBI was significantly associated with increased falls (11/14, 71%), poorer function (31/56, 55%), and cognition (11/20, 55%) related outcomes. Narrative synthesis was used due to significant heterogeneity in the study population, setting, study type, definition of DBI, and outcome measures. Results could not be pooled due to heterogeneity. In animals, outcomes reported included function (n = 18), frailty (n = 2), and mortality (n = 1). In pre-clinical studies, a higher DBI caused poorer function and frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

A higher DBI may be associated with an increased risk of falls and decreased function and cognition. Higher DBI was inconsistently associated with increased mortality, length of stay, frailty, hospitalization or reduced quality of life. Human observational findings with respect to functional outcomes are supported by preclinical interventional studies. The DBI may be used as a tool to identify older adults at higher risk of harm.

Symptomatic and preventive medication use according to age and frailty in Australian and Japanese nursing homes

OBJECTIVE

To investigate symptomatic and preventive medication use according to age and frailty in Australian and Japanese nursing homes (NHs).

METHODS

Secondary cross-sectional analyses of two prospective cohort studies involving 12 Australian NHs and four Japanese NHs. Frailty was measured using the FRAIL-NH scale (non-frail 0-2; frail 3-6; most-frail 7-14). Regular medications were classified as symptomatic or preventive based on published lists and expert consensus. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the prevalence and ratio of symptomatic to preventive medications.

RESULTS

Overall, 550 Australian residents (87.7 ± 7.3 years; 73.3% females) and 333 Japanese residents (86.5 ± 7.0 years; 73.3% females) were included. Australian residents used a higher mean number of medications than Japanese residents (9.8 ± 4.0 vs 7.7 ± 3.7, p < 0.0001). Australian residents used more preventive than symptomatic medications (5.5 ± 2.5 vs 4.3 ± 2.6, p < 0.0001), while Japanese residents used more symptomatic than preventive medications (4.7 ± 2.6 vs 3.0 ± 2.2, p < 0.0001). In Australia, symptomatic medications were more prevalent with increasing frailty (non-frail 3.4 ± 2.6; frail 4.0 ± 2.6; most-frail 4.8 ± 2.6, p < 0.0001) but less prevalent with age (< 80 years 5.0 ± 2.9; 80-89 years 4.4 ± 2.6; ≥ 90 years 3.9 ± 2.5, p = 0.0042); while preventive medications remained similar across age and frailty groups. In Japan, there was no significant difference in the mean number of symptomatic and preventive medications irrespective of age and frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

The ratio of symptomatic to preventive medications was higher with increasing frailty but lower with age in Australia; whereas in Japan, the ratio remained consistent across age and frailty groups. Preventive medications remained prevalent in most-frail residents in both cohorts, albeit at lower levels in Japan.

Polypharmacy and potential drug–drug interactions among Greenland’s care home residents

Background:

As lifetime expectancy in Greenland is steadily increasing, so is the proportion of elderly Greenlanders. Old age is associated with polypharmacy, and in this study, we aim to describe the prevalence and characteristics of polypharmacy among the care home residents in Greenland.

Methods:

Eight care homes in Greenland were visited between 2010 and 2016. Questionnaires including information on prescribed medication and comorbidities were collected and analyzed. Drugs were categorized according to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) category, and potential drug–drug interactions (pDDIs) were assessed using the Danish Interaction Database. Polypharmacy was defined as five or more prescribed drugs.

Results:

All 244 eligible residents were included in the study. The median number of prescribed drugs per resident was six, and women were prescribed more drugs than men (median six versus five). More than 60% of all residents fulfilled the criteria for polypharmacy. The residents in the polypharmacy group had a higher body mass index (26.9 versus 24.3) and more chronic diseases (median two versus one), and more often pulmonary (14% versus 1%) or endocrine disease (22% versus 2%) than in the non-polypharmacy group. The most prescribed drugs belonged to ATC category N (nervous system, 78% of the residents). Finally, pDDIs were found among 61% of the residents and were more common in the capital (77%), which also had the highest proportion of residents with polypharmacy (77%).

Conclusion:

This is the first study to describe the patterns of polypharmacy and pDDIs among the elderly in care homes in Greenland. Our findings indicate that polypharmacy is as common in Greenland as elsewhere in the Western world, but there are local differences in the prevalence.

Plain Language Summary

Polypharmacy among the elderly in care homes in Greenland

The lifetime expectancy of the Greenlandic population is increasing, and so is the number of elderly Greenlanders. Previous studies have shown that the elderly have a higher risk of being treated with five drugs or more which is called polypharmacy. Polypharmacy can cause unwanted interactions and side effects. In this study, we examine the characteristics of the residents in Greenlandic care homes belonging to this group.

Using questionnaires, we gathered information from 244 residents from care homes in eight different towns and settlements in Greenland. Data included types of medication prescribed to the resident, age, gender, cause of stay, and medical history, which allowed us to compare the results between genders and towns.

We found that among 244 residents, more than half of all residents were prescribed five or more different drugs, and women were generally prescribed more drugs than men. Those prescribed five or more drugs had a higher body mass index and more diseases than those prescribed fewer drugs. We also found that certain types of medication, mainly painkillers, were the most prescribed. Finally, residents in the care home in Greenland’s capital Nuuk were more often prescribed five or more drugs than elsewhere in Greenland, indicating local differences in Greenland.

Our results give an essential insight into the health and medication of the most fragile elderly in Greenland. Polypharmacy seems to be as common here as elsewhere in the Western world and is a point of focus.

Polypharmacy in Australian Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder upon Admission to a Mental Health Facility: A Retrospective Chart Review

Objective

Polypharmacy increases the risk of adverse drug events and drug–drug interactions, and contributes to falls, hospital admissions, morbidity and mortality. Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder often have psychological and physical comorbidities, increasing the likelihood of general and psychotropic polypharmacy. This study investigates the prevalence of general and psychotropic polypharmacy in inpatient veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, and illustrates potential risks associated with polypharmacy in this population.

Methods

Medical records of 219 veterans admitted to a mental health facility for post-traumatic stress disorder management were retrospectively reviewed. Medication lists on admission were extracted and coded according to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification classes. The prevalence of general (five or more total medications), psychotropic (two or more N-code medications), and sedative (two or more medications with sedating effects) polypharmacy and Drug Burden Index were calculated. Class combinations were reported, and associations between demographic characteristics and polypharmacy were determined.

Results

Mean age was 62.5 (± 14.6) years. In addition to post-traumatic stress disorder, 90.9% had a diagnosis of at least one other psychiatric condition, and 96.8% had a diagnosis of at least one non-psychiatric medical condition. The prevalence of general polypharmacy was 76.7%, psychotropic polypharmacy was 79.9% and sedative polypharmacy was 75.3%. Drug Burden Index scores ranged from 0 to 8.2, with 66.2% of participants scoring ≥ 1.

Conclusions

This cohort of inpatient veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder had a high prevalence of general, psychotropic and sedative polypharmacy, and were at high risk for drug-related adverse events. This highlights the importance of increasing awareness of polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate drug combinations, and the need for improved medication review by prescribers.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40801-022-00298-3.

Geriatric medicine and health care for older people in Australia

Aged care coverage in Australia is universal but fragmented and has been challenged by government policy to deregulate aged care and open it up to market forces. A recent inquiry into aged care (Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety) documented the outcome of this policy-substandard care at most levels. The provision of services to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have high prevalence of frailty and cognitive impairment, was also identified as inadequate. The effects of yet to be implemented changes in policy and funding in response to this report remain to be seen. Despite this policy backdrop, geriatricians have contributed to a steady growth in medical services and interventions focussed on specific geriatric issues such as dementia, falls, polypharmacy and orthogeriatrics. These are often driven by, or in collaboration with researchers, and aim to generate research data as well as provide patient care. The numbers of academic geriatricians and other aged care health professionals is increasing, and the training of specialist geriatricians now includes a significant research component.