Determinants of drug utilization in an elderly population in North and West Belfast

Abstract

AbstractThis study was designed to survey drug prescribing for all patients over 65 years in institutional and hospital care in North and West Belfast, together with a home‐based sample, and to determine the influence of age, sex, mental score, functional score and place of abode on prescribing habits. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyse the effects of the various parameters on number of drugs received. Drugs were categorized into therapeutic classes and for each class a separate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the variables which independently predicted receipt of that class.A total of 1094 people were surveyed with an average of 3.26 medications per person. The most common classes of drugs received were diuretics (39.8 per cent), analgesics (31.7 per cent), hypnotics (25.3 per cent), phenothiazines (21.7 per cent) and laxatives (20.9 per cent). Number of drugs received was not predicted by age or sex but by institutional or hospital placement. Placement was also the most significant independent predictor of drug class. Age, sex, mental and functional scores were less significant.Drug utilization in this representative elderly population seemed appropriate with low prescribing rates for some drug classes considered hazardous or ineffective in this age group.