The Relation between Using Inappropriate Medications and Quality of Life Among the Elderly Living in Kerman

Abstract

Background: Disability induced by severe diseases reduces life quality among elders, and leads to increased use of medications and increase in drug misuse. This study was done to determine the relation between the number of inappropriate medications used and life quality of elderly people living in Kerman during 2014. Methods: This descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 elderly people in Kerman, Iran. The participants were selected by simple random sampling. The elderly health assessment questionnaire and Beers Criteria were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 16) and running χ2 test, Fischer’s exact test, and logistic regression. The model fitness was evaluated by the Hosmer and Lemeshow test. Results: The risk of low life quality in elders using 3 to 4 inappropriate medications was 9.98 times more than elders using no unauthorized medication. The most frequent inappropriate medications were aspirin and alprazolam. A significant relation was observed between low life quality and number of inappropriate medications used by elders; that is, taking a higher number of inappropriate medications was associated with lower life quality. Conclusion: Many elderly people use inappropriate medications, which can have a serious adverse impact on their quality of life.