Zuniga M, Phillips C, Hawes C, Wilson J, Choi M, Cooper C; AcademyHealth. Meeting (2003 : Nashville, Tenn.).

Abstr AcademyHealth Meet. 2003; 20: abstract no. 808.

Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health, Health Policy and Management, 3000 Briarcrest Dr. Suite 300, Bryan, TX 77802 Tel. (979) 845.2387 Fax (979) 862-8371

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Profile medication use patterns in Assisted Living Facility (ALF) residents. determine drug-drug interaction prevalence, and assess inappropriate drug use in the elderly. STUDY DESIGN: The medication component of a national survey of high privacy, high services ALFs was used to assess patterns of medication use, drug-drug interactions, and inappropriate drug use in the elderly. A random sample of geographic areas across the United States was selected to conduct a two-stage enumeration and screening of assisted living facilities. Assisted living facilities were defined using selected features for which general industry and consumer groups agreement was representative. Variable Weighting was performed to obtain national estimates. Univariate and multivariate analysis of the medication data was performed. POPULATION STUDIED: A total of 1,492 usable surveys from ALF residents were analyzed. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Three out of four residents reported taking medications during the survey administration. Fifty percent of the residents reporting medication use take from one to seven drugs, the remaining fifty percent reported from eight to 20 medications. A total of 9,196 drugs were computed and reclassified using the American Hospital Formulary Categories. The most prevalent drugs are cardiac, diuretics, anti-inflammatory agents, cathartics and laxatives, opiates, antacids, lipotropic agents, and antidepressants. Drug to drug interaction were computed for a total of 2,763 interactions. Mode of onset and severity were additionally computed using commercially available software. Residents 65 years and older were assessed to determine usage of medications in the modified Beers list of inappropriate drugs for this age group. The most common problem drugs are amitriptyline, propranolol, and propoxyphene. CONCLUSIONS: Profiling medication use in ALF residents is an important step in reducing the potential for drug-to-drug interactions and inappropriate prescribing in the elderly. The assessment of drug-to-drug interactions gives a clear picture of what medication combinations should be avoided. The inappropriately prescribed medications to residents older than 64 years of age is a preventable problem. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, DELIVERY OR PRACTICE: Survey methodology is useful to assess medication use in a non-regulated, non-healthcare setting living arrangement. The lack of resident administration records should not be a limitation for improving medication issues in ALF residents.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Aged
• Assisted Living Facilities
• Biomedical Research
• Data Collection
• Drug Interactions
• Federal Government
• Frail Elderly
• Homes for the Aged
• Prescriptions, Drug
• Prevalence
• United States
• hsrmtgs

Other ID:

• GWHSR0004097

UI: 102275776

From Meeting Abstracts