Correlates of polypharmacy and prescription changes in internal medicine: a prospective five-year study
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Polypharmacy is common in internal medicine, affecting over 70% of patients. Both reducing and continuing multiple medications are linked to higher mortality, highlighting the need for careful medication management.
Area Of Science
- Internal Medicine
- Geriatrics
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background
- Limited data exist on polypharmacy within internal medicine settings.
- Polypharmacy is a significant concern in elderly patient populations.
- Understanding polypharmacy's impact is crucial for patient outcomes.
Purpose Of The Study
- To determine the prevalence of polypharmacy in internal medicine patients.
- To identify clinical and socioeconomic factors associated with polypharmacy.
- To evaluate the impact of polypharmacy on patient mortality.
Main Methods
- Prospective enrollment in the San MAtteo Complexity (SMAC) study.
- Assessment of polypharmacy at admission and discharge.
- Collection of sociodemographic data, frailty scores, and comorbidity indices.
- Logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis for associations and mortality.
Main Results
- Polypharmacy prevalence was 71.5% at admission and 82.6% at discharge.
- Older age, frailty, comorbidity, and cardiovascular disorders predicted polypharmacy.
- Both deprescribing and polypharmacy were associated with increased mortality at various time points.
Conclusions
- Polypharmacy is highly prevalent in internal medicine.
- Both medication reduction and continuation impact mortality.
- Targeted medication optimization strategies are essential for this patient group.
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