Use of potentially inappropriate drugs in nursing homes.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine patterns and determine predictors of inappropriate drug use in nursing homes. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: One thousand four hundred ninety-two nursing homes in five states. PATIENTS: A total of 44,562 residents admitted to nursing homes over 1 year. METHODS: Frequency of discontinuation and initiation of potentially inappropriate drugs over the first 90 days after admission to a nursing home was calculated. Data were collected using the minimum data set. RESULTS: On admission, 33% of residents were receiving at least one potentially inappropriate drug. After 90 days, the drug was discontinued in 16% of these residents. Of those not receiving a potentially inappropriate drug on admission, one was begun in 18%. Demographic factors and number of drugs taken by patients were associated with the use of potentially inappropriate drugs. CONCLUSIONS; Use of potentially inappropriate drugs was prevalent on admission and at 90 days after admission. Discontinuation was highest among patients with conditions for which potentially safer therapeutic alternatives existed.     

Use of psychotropic drugs in elderly nursing home residents with and without dementia in Helsinki, Finland

OBJECTIVE: Use of psychotropic medication is very common in nursing home residents. Our objective was to describe the use of psychotropic drugs in all long-term nursing home residents > or =65 years of age with and without dementia in Helsinki, Finland. METHOD: The study was a cross-sectional assessment of the nursing home population. The residents' health status was assessed and data on their demographic factors, health and medication use were collected from medical charts in February 2003. RESULTS: Of all nursing home residents in Helsinki, 82% (n = 1987) participated in the study. The nursing home residents' mean age was 83.7 (SD 7.7) years, 80.7% were female, and 69.5% were diagnosed with dementia. The mean number of drugs [corrected] given regularly was 7.9 (SD 3.6) per day per resident[corrected] Of the participants, 79.7% were regularly taking psychotropic medication. Conventional antipsychotics were administered to 18.9% of residents and atypical antipsychotics to 27.0%. Of the residents, 26.7% were on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), 3.1% on tricyclic antidepressants and 17.6% on other antidepressants. Altogether, 44.6% of residents were taking one or more antidepressant. More than a quarter (26.3%) were taking at least one anxiolytic drug. Hypnotics were used by 27.5%. However, only moderate dosages of psychotropic drugs were being taken. Only 10.4% of individuals with dementia were regularly taking cholinesterase inhibitors and four residents were taking memantine. CONCLUSIONS: Use of psychotropic drugs is very common in nursing homes in Helsinki, Finland, with four of five nursing home residents regularly receiving psychotropic drugs. Only one in ten residents were receiving cholinesterase inhibitors. Physicians caring for nursing home residents require further education on the benefits and adverse effects of psychotropic drugs in frail elderly people.     

Relationships between psychotropic drug dosage, plasma drug concentration, and prolactin levels in nursing home residents

This study aimed to characterize the relationships between administered dosages of psychotropic drugs, plasma drug concentration, and prolactin levels in a group of elderly nursing home residents. In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover design study, blood samples were drawn from 47 nursing home residents at least 6 hours after taking either haloperidol, thioridazine, or lorazepam. Correlations between drug dosage and plasma drug levels were significant for haloperidol and thioridazine, but not for lorazepam. Plasma drug levels were below the levels of detection for most of those taking haloperidol. Lorazepam was detected in the blood of 4 of the participants even after 3 weeks of downward titration to placebo and 6 weeks of placebo. Prolactin level was related to administered dosage only in those who were taking haloperidol. For those taking haloperidol or thioridazine, prolactin levels decreased when participants were on placebo. When an older person is taken off lorazepam, the possibility of residual drug in their bodies even 6 weeks after termination of drug use should be considered. Haloperidol may be clinically active in the brain despite no currently detectable plasma drug concentration.     

Administrative initiatives for reducing inappropriate prescribing of psychotropic drugs in nursing homes: how successful have they been?

The quality of nursing home care has been subject to intense investigation and scrutiny, particularly in the US. In particular, there has long been concern about the extensive use of psychotropic agents, notably antipsychotics, hypnotics and anxiolytics, in this setting. These drugs have been described as 'chemical restraints', in that they were used to sedate and subdue patients, partly to compensate for poor staffing levels and to minimise staff contact with patients. However, following a damning Institute of Medicine report to the US Congress, use of such drugs became regulated under a unique administrative initiative: the Nursing Home Reform Act, embedded within the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 1987 (OBRA 87). Research has indicated that psychotropic drug use in nursing homes has declined markedly following the implementation of this regulation. In addition, explicit criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use were incorporated within the guidelines for nursing home inspectors from 1 July 1999. Because regulations have targeted poor prescribing, rather than promoting the use of effective drugs in older residents, it has been difficult to determine whether outcomes have improved for nursing home residents as a result. However, US government agencies have responded to continuing concerns about nursing home care through the implementation of quality indicators which are used to guide and plan inspections of such facilities and to compare nursing homes within the same state. Although there are a limited number of quality indicators relating to prescribing, this represents a move away from adversarial regulation, which focuses on poor practice, and attempts to improve quality of care. An important role for educational initiatives and interventions has been advocated by some commentators and these have proved to be successful in the nursing home environment. Other countries have not implemented such restrictive prescribing regulation in nursing homes. Exemplars of innovative prescribing models, involving pharmacists and encouraging resident-centred care, may offer a more palatable approach to improving drug use in this vulnerable population.     

Descriptive study and pharmacotherapeutic intervention in patients with epilepsy or Parkinson's disease at nursing homes in southern Sweden

OBJECTIVES: To describe the drug use in epilepsy and Parkinson's patients living in nursing homes and to evaluate the impact of multi-speciality team intervention on health-related quality of life, activities of daily living (ADL) and confusion state. METHODS: Nursing home residents with epilepsy or Parkinson's disease in the county of Sk?ne in Sweden were identified. From 119 nursing homes, 262 patients were identified. After obtaining informed consent, 157 patients from 48 nursing homes were included. Of these patients 74 were diagnosed with epilepsy and 84 with Parkinson's disease (one patient had both diagnoses). The average age of the epilepsy patients was 79 years and of the Parkinson's patients 81 years. Pharmacists documented the patients' drug use and any drug-related problems after communication with nursing-home residents, their contact persons at the nursing home and the residents' physicians. A multi-speciality group consisting of pharmacists, a primary care physician, a neurologist, a neuro-psychiatrist and a clinical pharmacologist evaluated the patients' medication and, when appropriate, suggested changes. Lists of each resident's medications were collected together with information about drug-related problems. The use of drugs deemed inappropriate for geriatric nursing-home residents according to Beer's criteria was documented. Health-related quality of life was evaluated using a generic health-related quality of life instrument, SF-36. Confusion state was measured using the Behaviour Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (Behave-AD), and ability to perform ADL was assessed using the Schwab and England capacity for daily living scale. All measurements were repeated after approximately 6 months. During that period, for the group randomised to active intervention, the physicians involved in the care of the patients had received the recommendations for changes in drug treatment from the multi-speciality group. RESULTS: Epilepsy patients at nursing homes used on average 8.0 drugs for continuous use whereas Parkinson's patients used 8.6 drugs. According to Beer's criteria about 40% of both patient groups used drugs that are classified as inappropriate to geriatric nursing-home patients. Dopamine receptor-blocking psychotropic drugs were used by 29% of the Parkinson's patients. Indication for a patient's total drug treatment was not documented for 50% of epilepsy and 40% of Parkinson's patients. There were no significant differences between the active and control groups in changes in SF-36, Behave-AD or ADL for epilepsy patients. For Parkinson's patients there was a significant decrease in ADL for the active group, whereas there were no differences in SF-36 or Behave-AD. CONCLUSION: Nursing-home residents with epilepsy or Parkinson's disease use many drugs and often drugs that are classified as inappropriate. A simple problem-oriented questionnaire may be helpful in identifying specific drug-related problems in geriatric patients with common neurological diseases. Methods on how to improve the pharmacotherapy of these patients still have to be developed.     

Exposure to potentially inappropriate drugs and drug-drug interactions in elderly nursing home residents in Helsinki, Finland: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Multiple drug use is common among old, frail nursing home residents who are, as a consequence, susceptible to adverse effects and drug interactions. This study uses the updated Beers criteria for potentially inappropriate drug (PID) use in older adults to determine the extent and nature of PIDs in older nursing home residents in Helsinki, Finland. The study also uses the Swedish, Finnish, INteraction X-referencing (SFINX) interaction database to assess the possibility of clinically significant class D ("clinically significant interaction, and the combination should be avoided") drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in the same population. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional assessment of all nursing home residents aged > or = 65 years in Helsinki. The residents' demographic information and medical data were collected from medical charts in February 2003. RESULTS: Of all nursing home residents in Helsinki, 82% (n = 1987) were eligible for analysis. Their mean age was 83.7 (SD 7.7) years, 80.7% were female and 69.5% were diagnosed with dementia. The mean number of drugs given on a regular basis per resident was 7.9 (SD 3.6) per day. Of the study population, 34.9% regularly used at least one PID. Residents taking PIDs were more likely to be taking psychotropic medication and to be taking nine or more drugs daily, and less likely to have a diagnosis of dementia, than patients not taking PIDs. The three most prevalent PIDs were: (i) short-acting benzodiazepines in greater than recommended doses (13.9% of all residents), of which temazepam >15 mg/day was the most commonly used agent and, indeed, the most common PID (taken by 13.5% of all residents); (ii) hydroxyzine (7.1%); and (iii) nitrofurantoin (6.3%). Together, these three PIDs accounted for 76.9% of all PID use. Of all residents, 4.8% were susceptible to a clinically significant DDI. The most common potential DDIs were related to the use of potassium-sparing diuretics, carbamazepine and codeine. Compared with residents not exposed to potential DDIs, residents exposed to potential DDIs were more likely to be younger, to have a prior history of stroke, to be taking psychotropics, to be taking nine or more drugs daily and to be taking PIDs. CONCLUSION: Use of PIDs is very common among nursing home residents, and this increases the likelihood of DDIs. Monitoring patients for PID use and potential drug interactions could increase the quality of prescribing.     

Psychotropic drug use in nursing homes – diagnostic indications and variations between institutions

OBJECTIVE: Psychotropic drug use among nursing home residents with regard to diagnostic indications and patient- and institution characteristics was analysed. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of medication data from 1552 residents at 23 nursing homes in Bergen, Norway, was performed. Psychotropic drug use (neuroleptics, anxiolytics, hypnotics, antidepressants, and two sedative antihistamines) was analysed with regard to prevalence, diagnostic indications, duration of use, and general patient- and institution characteristics. RESULTS: Psychotropic drugs were taken on a daily schedule by 59% of all residents, most commonly as long-term treatment. Antidepressants (in 70% selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) were used by 31%, neuroleptics by 23%, and benzodiazepines by 22% of all the residents. Neuroleptics were given for non-psychotic behavioural and psychological symptoms in 66% of the cases. Sleeping disorders were most commonly treated with long-acting benzodiazepine hypnotics. Psychotropic drug use decreased with increasing patient age. Drug use patterns varied greatly between the different nursing homes: the prevalence of neuroleptic use varied from 0 to 61% of the residents, and antidepressant use varied from 10 to 63%. In nursing homes providing relatively more physician staff time, the residents were more likely to use antidepressants. CONCLUSIONS: Psychotropic drugs are used by a majority of nursing home residents as long-term symptomatic treatment. The great variations between the institutions can only to a small extent be explained by quantitative differences between the institutions.     

Information is care: the need for data to assess the quality of care in UK nursing and residential homes

Prescribing is the most common medical intervention experienced by elderly residents in nursing and residential care homes. However, research would suggest that these residents may be subject to poor prescribing, with excessive use of some drugs and underprescribing of potentially beneficial drugs. At a more fundamental level, there is also evidence that poor medication record-keeping for nursing home residents is prevalent in nursing homes, general practice surgeries and community pharmacies. This may increase the risk of an adverse drug event. Furthermore, there is a lack of data on prescribing in UK nursing homes, which militates against assessing the quality of drug use. Consideration needs to be given to the structures and processes currently in place in order to promote better prescribing outcomes for this vulnerable population.     

Information is care: the need for data to assess the quality of care in UK nursing and residential homes

Prescribing is the most common medical intervention experienced by elderly residents in nursing and residential care homes. However, research would suggest that these residents may be subject to poor prescribing, with excessive use of some drugs and underprescribing of potentially beneficial drugs. At a more fundamental level, there is also evidence that poor medication record-keeping for nursing home residents is prevalent in nursing homes, general practice surgeries and community pharmacies. This may increase the risk of an adverse drug event. Furthermore, there is a lack of data on prescribing in UK nursing homes, which militates against assessing the quality of drug use. Consideration needs to be given to the structures and processes currently in place in order to promote better prescribing outcomes for this vulnerable population.     

Factors influencing PRN medication use in nursing homes

OBJECTIVE: To identify determinants of PRN (as needed) drug use in nursing homes. Decisions about the use of these medications are made expressly by nursing home staff when general medical practitioners (GPs) prescribe medications for PRN use. METHOD: Cross-sectional drug use data were collected during a 7-day window from 13 Australian nursing homes. Information was collected on the size, staffing-mix, number of visiting GPs, number of medication rounds, and mortality rates in each nursing home. Resident specific measures collected included age, gender, length of stay, recent hospitalisation and care needs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of PRN orders prescribed per resident and the number of PRN doses given per week averaged over the number of PRN medications given at all in the seven-day period. RESULTS: Approximately 35% of medications were prescribed for PRN use. Higher PRN use was found for residents with the lower care needs, recent hospitalisation and more frequent doses of regularly scheduled medications. With increasing length of stay, PRN medication orders initially increased then declined but the number of doses given declined from admission. While some resident-specific characteristics did influence PRN drug use, the key determinant for PRN medication orders was the specific nursing home in which a resident lived. Resident age and gender were not determinants of PRN drug use. CONCLUSION: The determinants of PRN drug use suggest that interventions to optimize PRN medications should target the care of individual residents, prescribing and the nursing home processes and policies that govern PRN drug use.     

Use of Medicines that Influence Falls or Fractures in a Residential Home Setting

Objective: To study the pattern of use of medicines that may contribute to, or protect against, falls and fractures in the setting of a UK residential home population, and to compare the results with a similar study conducted in 2001.Setting and method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2003 in 18 residential homes. A trained community pharmacist visited the homes to retrieve information about use of medicines whilst demographic details were provided by the residential home staff.Main outcome measure: The proportion of patients who were prescribed medicines with a potential positive benefit in preventing fractures, and medicines that may cause elderly people to fall.Results: The study population consisted of 581 residents. Compared to the 2001 study, the use of both calcium and vitamin D had increased significantly (8.3% versus 2.1%). Although, the overall prescribing of psychotropics in 2003 was relatively low, there was a trend for increased prescribing of these medicines which have been identified as risk factors for falling.Conclusion: In a residential home setting in the UK, the use of psychotropic drugs is not uncommon, whereas there is limited use of drugs that have the potential for preventing morbidity associated with falls.     

Drug utilisation in Dutch nursing homes

Objective: To quantify and evaluate drug utilisation in a sample of Dutch nursing homes. Methods: A retrospective analysis of computerised medication data of 2355 residents aged 65 years and over from six nursing homes in the Netherlands was performed. For each therapeutic drug group, the number of users was determined. The ten therapeutic groups used most frequently were investigated further. For these, patient characteristics, use of therapeutic subgroups, the average daily dosages and the chronicity of drug use were determined. Chronicity was expressed as the percentage of treatment days divided by the number of residents' days in the nursing home. Results: During the study period, 89%, 77% and 56% of the study population used a drug from the anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) main group N (nervous system), A (alimentary tract and metabolism) and C (cardiovascular system), respectively. Eight of the ten therapeutic drug groups prescribed most frequently were used for more than 50% of the time. In particular, psycholeptic drugs, diuretics and laxatives were used chronically (83%, 81%, and 80% of the nursing home stay, respectively). Except for a few drug groups, such as laxatives and diuretics, the prescribed daily dosages were relatively low. Twenty-eight percent of the residents received loop diuretics; these were prescribed in relatively high dosages. Conclusion: Drug utilisation in the nursing homes was high and many drugs were used chronically. In view of the risk of possible adverse effects and drug–drug interactions, the prescribing and dosage of psycholeptic drugs, laxatives, loop diuretics and ulcer-healing drugs should be re-evaluated, carefully. Received: 11 March 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 19 September 1999