Incidence of Polypharmacy in a Long‐Term Care Facility

Abstract

The incidence of polypharmacy was investigated in a 200-bed long-term care facility. One hundred residents were drawn at random for the study. The average number of drugs prescribed per patient was 3.33, and the average number of pills was 6.34 daily. The most frequently prescribed drugs were the analgesics, followed in order by antihypertensive agents, cardiotonic preparations and antimicrobials. The literature is reviewed with respect to the incidence, causes and end-results of polypharmacy. It is recommended that long-term care facilities develop enlightened and aggressive pharmacy committees to monitor and evaluate drug use routinely in an institutional setting.

Psychotropic drug intake in residents newly admitted to nursing homes

“…Kalchthaler et al 1977;Segal et al 1979;Ray et al 1980;Clarke et al 1981;Beers et al 1988;Buck 1988;Burns et al 1988;Beardsly et al 1989). The rates of psychotropic drug intake reported from these studies lie between 32 % (Burns et al 1988) and 86% (Segal et al 1979).…”

Prescribing for the Elderly: Part II Prescribing Patterns: Differences Due to Age

“…Care of the elderly living in long‐term institutions has attracted much attention in the United States. Numerous studies on prescribing for this tiny sector of the community (less than 5% of all persons aged 65 years or older) have been published 36–49 …”

Medication Use in Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly

“…Nursing home residents are among the most heavily medicated segments of the population. 6,7 Previous research has documented the incidence of polypharmacy, 8 excessive use of medications that are prescribed to be taken on an as-needed basis, 9,10 and high drug cost 11 in the long-term-care setting. Compounding these problems, the choice of suboptimal or inappropriate medications to treat SNF or RCFE residents places them at high risk for adverse drug reactions, 12 leading to complications such as cognitive impairment, 13 falls, 14, 15 and hip fractures, 16 which will reduce their functional capacity and independence.…”