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Related Experiment Videos

[Pharmacotherapy in nursing homes].

Hege Kersten¹, Sabine Ruths, Torgeir Bruun Wyller

¹Undervisningssykehjemmet i Oslo, Abildsø bo- og rehabiliteringssenter, Løvsetdalen 2, 1188 Oslo, og Geriatrisk avdeling, Oslo universitetssykehus, Ullevål, Norway. hege.kersten@farmasi.uio.no

Tidsskrift for Den Norske Laegeforening : Tidsskrift for Praktisk Medicin, Ny Raekke

|September 17, 2009

Summary

Nursing home residents face high drug risks. Better physician staffing in one home correlated with fewer medications, lower anticholinergic burden, and fewer drug-related problems, improving resident safety.

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Area of Science:

Geriatric Medicine
Pharmacology
Healthcare Management

Background:

Nursing home residents are at high risk for drug-related problems due to polypharmacy and multi-morbidity.
Age-related physiological changes can exacerbate medication risks in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare drug use and pharmacotherapy quality in two nursing homes with differing physician staffing levels.
To identify factors influencing drug-related problems in long-term care settings.

Main Methods:

A comparative study involving 48 long-term patients from two nursing homes in Oslo.
Pharmacists recorded drug use and identified drug-related problems, classifying drugs by anticholinergic burden.
Physicians assessed the clinical significance of identified drug-related problems.

Main Results:

Nursing home A, with better physician staffing, had significantly lower median drug use (7.0 vs 9.5 drugs) and anticholinergic burden scores (1.0 vs 2.0).
Patients in nursing home A experienced fewer drug-related problems (median 3.0 vs 5.5).
No significant differences were observed in patient age, co-morbidity, kidney function, or dementia status between the homes.

Conclusions:

Significant variations in medication use and quality indicators exist between nursing homes.
Enhanced physician staffing may contribute to improved medication management and reduced drug-related problems.
Systematic, multidisciplinary medication reviews are crucial for enhancing quality of care in nursing homes.