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Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Adverse drug events in cognitively impaired elderly patients
Hooman Ganjavi1, Nathan Herrmann, Paula A Rochon
1Neuropharmacology Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Background/Aims:
Adverse drug events (ADEs) are a frequent problem encountered in the elderly. The aim of this study was to elucidate the factors that influence ADEs in an elderly population with cognitive impairment.
Methods:
242 patients were recruited from dementia clinics and assessed after 6 months for ADEs. The use of natural health products (NHPs) was also documented.
Results:
Backward logistic regression found that higher age (OR = 1.06; 95% CI 1.01-1.12), and greater cognitive impairment (OR = 0.94; 95% CI 0.90-0.98) were associated with an increased risk of developing an ADE while the use of NHPs (OR = 0.32; 95% CI 0.13-0.79) was associated with a decreased risk (chi(2) = 27.6, p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Risk of ADEs increased with greater age and cognitive impairment but decreased with the use of NHPs.
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