Simplified medication regimen and survival in polypathological patients

To determine if a more simplified medication regimen is associated with survival in polypathological patients.

Multicentre cohort study. We included polypathological patients admitted to internal medicine wards between March 1st and June 30rd, 2011. Patients that died during admission and readmissions were excluded. Data were collected about age, gender, home, comorbidity, Charlson, Barthel and Lawton-Brody indexes, Short Portable Mental State Questionnaire, socio-familial Gijón scale, admissions in the previous year, delirium, need of a caregiver and PROFUND index. The therapy complexity was measured with the Medication Regimen Complexity Index. The follow-up lasted 4-years. To determine the factors associated with mortality we performed a Cox proportional regression model.

Overall 223 polypathological patients were included, with a mean age of 79.8 (8.6) years. Mean score in Medication Regimen Complexity Index was 32.0 (15.2). After 4 years, 161 (72.2%) patients died, 36 with a more simplified medication regimen. Age (HR 1.060, 95%CI 1.032-1.089; P<.001), neoplasms (HR 2.477, 95%CI 1.564-3.923; P<.001), and the number of admissions in the previous year (HR 1.251, 95%CI 1.100-1.423; P=.001) were independently associated with 4-year mortality, and Barthel index score (HR .991, 95%CI .983-0.998; P<.001) and a more simplified medication regimen (HR 0.634 95%CI 0.414-.970; p=.036) with lower mortality.

In polypathological patients, the more simplified medication regimens are associated with a lower mortality.