Polypharmacy In Older Patients Research Articles

Development of a core outcome set for medication review in older patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy: a study protocol.

BackgroundMedication review has been advocated to address the challenge of polypharmacy in older patients, yet there is no consensus on how best to evaluate its efficacy. Heterogeneity of outcomes reported in clinical trials can hinder the comparison of clinical trial findings in systematic reviews. Moreover, the outcomes that matter most to older patients might be under-reported or disregarded altogether. A core outcome set can address this issue as it defines a minimum set of outcomes that should be reported in all clinical trials in any particular field of research. As part of the European Commission-funded project, called OPtimising thERapy to prevent Avoidable hospital admissions in the Multimorbid elderly, this paper describes the methods used to develop a core outcome set for clinical trials of medication review in older patients with multimorbidity.Methods/designThe study was designed in several steps. First, a systematic review established which outcomes were measured in published and ongoing clinical trials of medication review in older patients. Second, we undertook semistructured interviews with older patients and carers aimed at identifying additional relevant outcomes. Then, a multilanguage European Delphi survey adapted to older patients was designed. The international Delphi survey was conducted with older patients, health care professionals, researchers, and clinical experts in geriatric pharmacotherapy to validate outcomes to be included in the core outcome set. Consensus meetings were conducted to validate the results.DiscussionWe present the method for developing a core outcome set for medication review in older patients with multimorbidity. This study protocol could be used as a basis to develop core outcome sets in other fields of geriatric research.

Polypharmacy in Older Patients ≥70 Years Receiving Palliative Radiotherapy.

Many older cancer patients receive five or more daily medications (polypharmacy). The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of polypharmacy in older patients undergoing palliative radiotherapy and its influence on the risk of being unable to complete the prescribed number of fractions, as well as the 30-day mortality and overall survival. Retrospective review of 289 patients aged 70 years or older. The median and mean Charlson comorbidity index (11) was 2, ranging between 0-7 (presently treated cancer not included). The median and mean number of daily medications was 7, ranging between 0-18. Only 27% of patients used less than 5 daily medications. Corticosteroids were used by 59% of the patients and opioid analgesics by 55%. Comorbidity, but also symptom severity, as indexed by pain medication, correlated significantly with the prevalence of polypharmacy. In multivariate analysis, neither polypharmacy nor use of corticosteroids or opioid analgesics influenced overall survival. No trends were seen for 30-day mortality or failure to complete radiotherapy. Polypharmacy is a common phenomenon in older patients receiving palliative radiotherapy and it does not predict adverse radiotherapy outcomes.

A systematic review of the outcomes reported in trials of medication review in older patients: the need for a core outcome set.

Medication review has been advocated as one of the measures to tackle the challenge of polypharmacy in older patients, yet there is no consensus on how best to evaluate its efficacy. This study aimed to assess outcome reporting in trials of medication review in older patients. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective studies and RCT protocols involving medication review performed in patients aged 65years or older in any setting of care were identified from: (1) a recent systematic review; (2) RCT registries of ongoing studies; (3) the Cochrane library. The type, definition, and frequency of all outcomes reported were extracted independently by two researchers. Forty-seven RCTs or prospective published studies and 32 RCT protocols were identified. A total of 327 distinct outcomes were identified in the 47 published studies. Only one fifth (21%) of the studies evaluated the impact of medication reviews on adverse events such as drug reactions or drug-related hospital admissions. Most of the outcomes were related to medication use (n=114, 35%) and healthcare use (n=74, 23%). Very few outcomes were patient-related (n=24, 7%). A total of 248 distinct outcomes were identified in the 32 RCT protocols. Overall, the number of outcomes and the number and type of health domains covered by the outcomes varied largely. Outcome reporting from RCTs concerning medication review in older patients is heterogeneous. This review highlights the need for a standardized core outcome set for medication review in older patients, to improve outcome reporting and evidence synthesis.

Delirium is not associated with anticholinergic burden or polypharmacy in older patients on admission to an acute hospital: an observational case control study.

BackgroundOlder people are commonly prescribed multiple medications, including medications with anticholinergic effects. Polypharmacy and anticholinergic medications may be risk factors for the development of delirium.MethodsPatients from a medical admission unit who were over 70, with DSM-IV diagnosed delirium and patients without delirium, were investigated. Number of drugs prescribed on admission and anticholinergic burden using two scales (the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale [ACB] and the Anticholinergic Drug Scale [ADS]) were recorded from electronic prescribing records. The relationship and predictive ability of these were explored.ResultsThe sample included 125 patients with DSM-IV diagnosed delirium and 122 patients without delirium. The mean age of the sample was 84.0 years. The median number of drugs prescribed was 7: 79.8 % were prescribed ≥5 drugs and 29.0 % ≥10 drugs. The median ACB score was 1 and the median ADS score was 1.5. 73.4 % of patients had an ACB score of ≥1 and 73.0 % had a ADS score ≥1. There was no association between: number of drugs prescribed, rate of polypharmacy, rate of excessive polypharmacy, ACB score and ADS score, and a diagnosis of delirium on admission. Only acetylcholinesterase inhibitor use predicted delirium (OR 3.86, p = 0.04) and the number of drugs prescribed was negatively correlated with age (spearman rho = −0.18, p = 0.006).ConclusionNeither number of drugs prescribed, polypharmacy or anticholinergic burden were associated with delirium on admission, questioning the clinical usefulness of anticholinergic drug scales. Further research is needed to unpick fully the relationship between, drugs, anticholinergic burden, age, and prevalent delirium in older patients and whether there is any role for these scales in clinical practice.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12877-016-0336-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

First do no harm: a real need to deprescribe in older patients.

Inappropriate polypharmacy in older patients imposes a significant burden of decreased physical functioning, increased risk of falls, delirium and other geriatric syndromes, hospital admissions and death. The single most important predictor of inappropriate prescribing and risk of adverse drug events in older patients is the number of prescribed medications. Deprescribing is the process of tapering or stopping drugs, with the goal of minimising polypharmacy and improving outcomes. Barriers to deprescribing include underappreciation of the scale of polypharmacy-related harm by both patients and prescribers; multiple incentives to overprescribe; a narrow focus on lists of potentially inappropriate medications; reluctance of prescribers and patients to discontinue medication for fear of unfavourable sequelae; and uncertainty about effectiveness of strategies to reduce polypharmacy. Ways of countering such barriers comprise reframing the issue to one of highest quality patient-centred care; openly discussing benefit-harm trade-offs with patients and assessing their willingness to consider deprescribing; targeting patients according to highest risk of adverse drug events; targeting drugs more likely to be non-beneficial; accessing field-tested discontinuation regimens for specific drugs; fostering shared education and training in deprescribing among all members of the health care team; and undertaking deprescribing over an extended time frame under the supervision of a single generalist clinician.

Polypharmacy in Older Patients Admitted to a General Hospital

Results: Among the 163 participants, 146 patients took daily medication in the previous week, and the average numbers of pills taken by these patients were 7.95. 24 cases (16.4%) of inappropriate prescriptions were identified by Beers criteria, and 19 cases (13.0%) manifested a potential risk for drug-drug interaction. A total 7 cases (4.8%) of overlapping prescription of similar efficacy were also identified. Also, the risk of inappropriate prescription increased, when older patients visited 2 or more physicians (p<0.01). Conclusion: A considerable number of cases of prescriptions probable to cause adverse events in older patients were identified, which suggests physicians need to be thoughtful and alert for the harmful effects of polypharmacy, and the necessity of a well-structured drug monitoring system for older persons. A dedicated personal physician system for older patients should also be considered, to reduce inappropriate prescriptions.

Non-surgical treatment of osteoarthritis-related pain in the elderly.

Osteoarthritis (OA), the third most common diagnosis in the elderly [1], causes significant pain leading to disability and decreased quality of life in subjects 65years and older [2]. Traditionally, clinicians have relied heavily on the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat the pain of OA, as numerous studies have proven these agents to be effective. The cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic toxicities of NSAIDs have limited their use, particularly in the elderly. Acetaminophen has been recommended as initial therapy due to relative safety. Several other topical, oral and intra-articular agents are available today, with use limited by efficacy and side effect profiles. Many non-pharmacologic approaches are available but underused, and may be attractive choices to avoid poly-pharmacy in older patients. We will attempt to highlight the evidence behind available non-surgical therapies for OA while paying specific attention to issues in geriatric patients.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of pregabalin in older patients with neuropathic pain: results from a pooled analysis of 11 clinical studies

BackgroundOlder patients are typically underrepresented in clinical trials of medications for chronic pain. A post hoc analysis of multiple clinical studies of pregabalin in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) or postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pregabalin in older patients.MethodsData from 11 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical studies of pregabalin in patients with DPN or PHN were pooled. Efficacy outcomes included change in Daily Pain Rating Scale score, ≥30% and ≥50% responders, and endpoint pain score ≤3. Safety was based on adverse events (AEs). Primary efficacy was analyzed by analysis of covariance with terms for treatment, age category, protocol, baseline pain, and treatment-by-age category interaction.Results2516 patients (white, n = 2344 [93.2%]; men, n = 1347 [53.5%]; PHN, n = 1003 [39.9%]; pregabalin, n = 1595) were included in the analysis. Patients were grouped by age: 18 to 64 years (n = 1236), 65 to 74 years (n = 766), and ≥75 years (n = 514). Baseline mean pain and sleep interference scores were comparable across treatment and age groups. Significant improvements in endpoint mean pain were observed for all pregabalin dosages versus placebo in all age groups (p ≤ 0.0009), except for the lowest dosage (150 mg/day) in the youngest age group. Clinically meaningful pain relief, defined as ≥30% and ≥50% pain response, was observed in all age groups. The most common AEs were dizziness, somnolence, peripheral edema, asthenia, dry mouth, weight gain, and infections. The relative risks for these AEs increased with pregabalin dose, but did not appear related to older age or type of neuropathic pain.ConclusionsPregabalin (150-600 mg/day) significantly reduced pain in older patients (age ≥65 years) with neuropathic pain and improvements in pain were comparable to those observed in younger patients. Titration of pregabalin to the lowest effective dose should allow for effective pain relief while minimizing AEs in older patients with neuropathic pain. Given the common use of polypharmacy in older patients, the absence of known drug-drug interactions makes pregabalin an important treatment option for older patients with pain of neuropathic origin.

Rational Polypharmacy in Older Patients

Rational Polypharmacy in Older Patients