P485: Health-care related adverse events in elderly patients leading to hospitalization

Abstract

decline and mortality. Improvement of medications prescriptions in elderly is a major public health concern. Patients and Methods: A descriptive and prospective study concerning a sample of 65-year-old patients and more recruited in a department of internal medicine. The patients affected of potentially grave medical affections (cancers, or at the end of life) were excluded. Variables studied were (1) Medical past history, (2) Number of pathologies (was considered as polypathologics, patients having a number of pathologies upper to 3, (3) Polymedication and the nature of medications. Results: Eighty-six patients were selected. The mean age of the population was 74.6 years [65–95] (54% were more than 75years old). The majority of patients were women (57% against 43%). Sex Ratio was 1.3. The mean number of pathologies was 2.08 with extremes from 1 to 6 pathologies. A poly-pathologic context was noted in 30.2% of cases. We noticed that the majority of patient had cardio-vascular diseases 51.2%, secondly inflammatory diseases (23.3%), then hematologic diseases (14%), osteo-articular diseases (12.8%), diabetes (11.6%) and neurological diseases (8.3%). According to Charlson Index of comorbidity, the mean score noted was of 4.32 with intervals from 2 to 8. The analysis of the risk comorbidity according to the sex noted an average score more elevated in men 4.35 against 4.3 for women. Polymedication was noted in 58.1% of patients. Patients received less than 3 medications in 26.7% of patients and 15.1% didn’t take any medications. The most important classes of medications noted were cardiovascular medications (68.6%), Vitamins (23.3%) and antalgics and antidiabetics (19.8%). Among our patients, 72.9% use medications without medical prescriptions. The most consumed medications by this way were antalgics and anti-inflammatory medications and then medications with digestive aim. Conclusions:We conclude that more knowledge about comorbidity in elderly and adequate instruments to measure it would lead to improved medications prescriptions in this population.