Abstract
Background: Older adults are vulnerable to drug poisoning. Prioritisation can help to effectively distribute healthcare services in resource-limited settings. We used a multi-method approach to prioritise risk factors for prescription drug poisoning among older adults. Methods: The study was conducted in two stages. First, the risk factors for drug poisoning among older adults were summarised through a literature review and classified according to importance and changeability determined through 2-phase expert surveys. Second, prescription drug poisoning cases among older adults between 2011 to 2015 were selected from a national cohort, and the prevalence of ‘more important’ or ‘more changeable’ factors determined in stage one was investigated. Scores were assigned according to the Basic Priority Rating Scale formula reflecting the size and seriousness of the problem and the effectiveness of intervention for each risk factor. Findings: In the first stage, polypharmacy, old-old age, female sex, chronic disease, psychiatric disease, and low socioeconomic status (SES) were selected as risk factors for prescription drug poisoning. In the second stage, 93∙9% of the cases enrolled had chronic medical disease and 78∙3% were using multiple drugs. Low SES was more prevalent than other risk factors. As per the scoring formula, chronic medical disease, polypharmacy, psychiatric disease, low SES and female sex, and old-old age were the most important risk factors, in that order of priority. Interpretation: Prioritisation of healthcare services requires multi-faceted considerations. Patients with chronic medical disease and those using multiple medications should be prioritised in poisoning prevention interventions among older adults. Funding Information: None. Declaration of Interests: We declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board at A jou University (Approval number: AJIRB-SBR-EXP-19-104). Written informed consent was obtained from each participant.
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