[Medication among pensioners in homes for the aged and nursing homes]

The prescribing of drugs was studied in 378 patients living in 12 homes for the aged in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. The mean number of regular drugs was 4.7. Out of a total of 378 patients, more than 8 drugs were prescribed to one out of four and only 13 received no drugs at all. 30% of the prescriptions referred to over-the-counter drugs. Laxatives (10.4%), vitamins (9.0%), and pscychotropics (8.2%) were the three most commonly prescribed classes of drugs. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the most significant predictor of the number of drugs prescribed to a patient is the doctor in charge.