[Epidemiology in nursing routine: data and hypotheses of longterm elderly patients]

Drugs prescription in patients > or = 65, admitted to the Geriatric ward (48 beds) of the Hospital of Crespano del Grappa (VC) from 1st january to 15th October 1993, was retrospectively analyzed examining clinical records. Respiratory and cardiovascular problems affect 18% of patients. The most frequently prescribed at discharge are cardiovascular drugs (71%) and gastrointestinal drugs (23% in women and 18% in men). Only 10 active principles (over 150 prescribed) lack a scientific documentation of efficacy. The survey is presented as one of the ways for producing an epidemiological profile of the patients cared for, beginning from easily available data. Such a profile would allow to focus on specific problems (the different pharmacologic management of men and women; the complex patients; the patients that would need specific information on drugs), and plan intervention strategies.