Rural residence and prescription medication use by community-dwelling older adults: a review of the literature

Cardiovascular medication utilization and adherence among adults living in rural and urban areas: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Rural residents face numerous barriers to healthcare access and studies suggest poorer health outcomes for rural patients. Therefore we undertook a systematic review to determine if cardiovascular medication utilization and adherence patterns differ for rural versus urban patients.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of major electronic datasets was undertaken for controlled clinical trials and observational studies comparing utilization or adherence to cardiovascular medications in rural versus urban adults with cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Two reviewers independently identified citations, extracted data, and evaluated quality using the STROBE checklist. Risk estimates were abstracted and pooled where appropriate using random effects models. Methods and reporting were in accordance with MOOSE guidelines.

RESULTS

Fifty-one studies were included of fair to good quality (median STROBE score 17.5). Although pooled unadjusted analyses suggested that patients in rural areas were less likely to receive evidence-based cardiovascular medications (23 studies, OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79, 0.98), pooled data from 21 studies adjusted for potential confounders indicated no rural-urban differences (adjusted OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.91, 1.13). The high heterogeneity observed (I(2) = 97%) was partially explained by treatment setting (hospital, ambulatory care, or community-based sample), age, and disease. Adherence did not differ between urban versus rural patients (3 studies, OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.39, 2.27, I(2) = 91%).

CONCLUSIONS

We found no consistent differences in rates of cardiovascular medication utilization or adherence among adults with cardiovascular disease or diabetes living in rural versus urban settings. Higher quality evidence is needed to determine if differences truly exist between urban and rural patients in the use of, and adherence to, evidence-based medications.

Socioeconomic status and differences in medication use among older people according to ATC categories and urban–rural residency

Aims: To study how selected indicators of socioeconomic status and urban–rural residency associate with medication use in form of number of daily medications, polypharmacy, and medication use according to Anatomic Therapeutic Classification (ATC) system. Methods: Cross-sectional, population-based study among older community-dwelling Icelanders. Criteria for participation were: age ≥65 years, community-dwelling, and able to communicate verbally and to set up a time for a face-to-face interview. Information on medication use was obtained by interviews and by examining each person’s medication record. Medications were categorised according to ATC system. A questionnaire and the physical and mental health summary scales of SF-36 Health Survey were used to assess potential influential factors associated with medication use. Results: On average, participants ( n=186) used 3.9 medications, and the prevalence of polypharmacy was 41%. No indicators of socioeconomic status had significant association to any aspects of medication use. Compared to urban residents, rural residents had more diagnosed diseases, were less likely to live alone, were less likely to report having adequate income, and had fewer years of education. Controlling for these differences, urban people were more likely to use medication from the B and C categories. Moreover, older urban men, with worse physical health, and greater number of diagnosed diseases used more medications from the B category. Conclusions: There are unexplained regional differences in medications use, from categories B and C, by older Icelanders. Further studies are needed on why urban residents used equal number of medications, or even more medications, compared to rural residents, despite better socioeconomic status and fewer diagnosed diseases.

[Use of medication by the elderly in urban and rural areas in southern Brazil: a population-based study]

The study aimed to measure use of medication and polypharmacy among the elderly in Carlos Barbosa, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, and to compare socio-demographic, economic, and health characteristics in relation to area of residence (urban versus rural) in a random sample of 811 persons 60 year of age or older. Interviews were used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, chronic illnesses, and self-reported use of medications. The association between area of residence and medication or polypharmacy was adjusted for confounders using Poisson regression with robust variance. Prevalence rates for use of medication and polypharmacy were higher among older persons living in the urban area. Living in the urban area was positively and independently associated with use of medication (PR = 1.10; 95%CI: 1.02-1.20) and polypharmacy (PR = 1.83; 95%CI: 1.27-2.65) in this group of elderly in southern Brazil.

Regional differences in prescribing quality among elder veterans and the impact of rural residence

PURPOSE

Medication safety is a critical concern for older adults. Regional variation in potentially inappropriate prescribing practices may reflect important differences in health care quality. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to characterize prescribing quality variation among older adults across geographic region, and to compare prescribing quality across rural versus urban residence.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study of 1,549,824 older adult veterans with regular Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care and medication use during fiscal year 2007. Prescribing quality was measured by 4 indicators of potentially inappropriate prescribing: Zhan criteria drugs to avoid, Fick criteria drugs to avoid, therapeutic duplication, and drug-drug interactions. Frequency differences across region and rural-urban residence were compared using adjusted odds-ratios.

FINDINGS

Significant regional variation was observed for all indicators. Zhan criteria frequencies ranged from 13.2% in the Northeast to 21.2% in the South. Nationally, rural veterans had a significantly increased risk for inappropriate prescribing according to all quality indicators. However, regional analyses revealed this effect was limited to the South and Northeast, whereas rural residence was neutral in the Midwest and protective in the West.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant regional variation in prescribing quality was observed among older adult veterans, mirroring recent findings among Medicare beneficiaries. The association between rurality and prescribing quality is heterogeneous, and relying solely on national estimates may yield misleading conclusions. Although we documented important variations in prescribing quality, the underlying factors driving these trends remain unknown, and they are a vital area for future research affecting older adults in both VA and non-VA health systems.

Optimal screening cut-off points for renal impairment in rural Korean older adults taking medications

The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to identify the optimal cut-off point of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve to screen for renal impairment among rural Korean older adults taking medications (N = 100). Renal function was assessed by eGFR using the Cockcroft-Gault formula. Nearly half of participants took five or more prescription drugs, and 46% took nephrotoxic medications. Participants' optimal eGFR cut-off points in screening for renal impairment with and without polypharmacy were 54.3 mL/min (area under curve [AUC] = 0.824, p < 0.001) and 61.4 mL/min (AUC = 0.768, p < 0.001), respectively. The incidence of renal impairment was 61.2% and 56.9%, respectively, using 54.3 mL/min and 61.4 mL/min as the new optimal cut-offs of eGFR with and without polypharmacy. More than half of the rural older adults require a reduction in medication dosage or a change to non-nephrotoxic medications. These new optimal cut-off points using eGFR according to polypharmacy may be helpful in screening for renal impairment among rural older adults taking medications.