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Patient Polypharmacy use Following a Multi-Disciplinary Dementia Care Program in a Memory Clinic: A Retrospective
Jaime Perales-Puchalt1, Crystal Burkhardt1, Jordan Baker1
1University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS.
Kansas Journal of Medicine
|October 4, 2023
Summary
Dementia care programs reduced over-the-counter (OTC) medication use in patients with dementia. Prescription polypharmacy remained unchanged, indicating a need for further research into reducing overall medication burden.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Clinical Pharmacy
- Public Health
Background:
- Dementia is a significant risk factor for polypharmacy.
- Optimal dementia care may mitigate polypharmacy and slow symptom progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a dementia care program on polypharmacy in memory clinic patients.
- To compare polypharmacy use in patients within a dementia care program versus standard care.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records from 381 dementia patients.
- Comparison of polypharmacy (≥5 concurrent medications) at follow-up between 107 program participants and 274 standard care patients.
- Adjusted odds ratios used to assess the association between the program and polypharmacy, controlling for baseline use and stratifying by prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in overall or prescription polypharmacy between groups at follow-up.
- Program participants showed a three-fold lower odds of using five or more OTC medications (aOR=0.30, p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Dementia care programs may effectively reduce over-the-counter (OTC) medication polypharmacy.
- Further research is needed to establish causality and explore methods for reducing prescription medication polypharmacy in dementia patients.
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