Several antipsychotics, but not mood stabilizers, were associated with the risk of pneumonia, which deserves our concern regarding patient safety. Some of the combinations of therapy resulted in synergy of risk.

ObjectivesTaiwanese National Health Insurance (TNHI) provides home healthcare services to patients with skilled nursing needs who were homebound or lived in nursing homes. Studies on potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) for older home healthcare service recipients (HHSRs) are growing, but comparisons among newer criteria of PIMs have not been applied. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and correlates of PIMs based on three different instruments published after 2010 among older HHSRs.Materials and MethodsWe performed cross-sectional analysis of the TNHI Research Database. A total of 25,187 HHSRs aged more than 65 years in 2009 were included. Medication lists independent of chronic conditions from the 2012 Beers criteria, PIM-Taiwan criteria, and the PRISCUS (Latin for “old and venerable”) criteria were used. Analysis was performed separately at patient and clinic-visit level. T-tests, chi-square analysis, and multivariate logistic regressions were used where appropriate.ResultsThe prevalence of having at least one PIM at patient and clinic-visit level was highest with the Beers (82.67%, 36.14% respectively), followed by the PRISCUS (68.49%, 25.13%) and PIM-Taiwan (63.04%, 19.21%) criteria. At patient level, polypharmacy (odds ratio (OR) 2.53 to 4.90), higher number of clinic (OR 1.15 to 1.41), hospital (OR 1.24 to 1.64), and physician (OR 1.15 to 1.41) visits were associated with PIM use for all 3 sets of criteria. At clinic-visit level, internist/family physicians (OR 1.26 to 1.72) and neurologists/psychiatrists (OR 1.73 to 5.87) were more likely to prescribe PIMs than others. Psychotropic drugs and first generation antihistamines accounted for most of the top ten PIMs.ConclusionThe prevalence of PIMs was high among older Taiwanese HHSRs. Polypharmacy and certain medical specialties were associated with a higher likelihood of PIM prescriptions. Provider education and medication review and reconciliation should be considered.

A user-friendly instrument was developed to detect PIMs for Taiwanese older adults. Further prospective studies are needed to validate its use in clinical and research settings.

C ognitive impairment is a major contributor to disability and dependence worldwide. Globally, stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability among adults and the second leading cause of death.1 The high cumulative risk of dementia or stroke or both conditions has been shown by the Framingham study, 2 and the urgent need to improve knowledge regarding cognition and vascular conditions has been emphasized in a specific meeting providing harmonized standards. 3Beyond their personal tolls, both of these conditions carry substantial social and economic burdens. These conditions also correlate strongly with increasing age. Given the projected substantial rise in the number of older people around the world, prevalence rates of cognitive impairment and stroke are expected to soar over the next several decades, especially in high-income countries. 4,5 Shared pathophysiologic mechanisms seem to exist between cognitive impairment and cerebrovascular disease.6 Indeed, risk factors for stroke (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity) have been shown to play a role in the onset and progression of cognitive impairment, 7 and it is well established that stroke itself increases the risk of future cognitive impairment. 8 However, whether cognitive impairment increases the risk of future stroke remains unclear. Early identification and regular surveillance for cognitive impairment could potentially enable prompt initiation of treatment aimed at not only potentially limiting further deterioration of cognitive function (if mild), but also possibly reducing the risk of future stroke through timely and optimal control of risk factors.Several published studies have assessed the association between cognitive impairment and subsequent risk of stroke, but the results have not been consistent. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the qualitative and quantitative association between baseline cognitive impairment and risk of future stroke. Methods Search strategyOur search strategy was based on the recommendations of the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology group. 9 We searched MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to November Background: Several studies have assessed the link between cognitive impairment and risk of future stroke, but results have been inconsistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies to determine the association between cognitive impairment and risk of future stroke.