Abstract
Objective
To verify the prevalence and factors associated with excessive polypharmacy in institutionalized older people.
Method
Cross-sectional study with 478 older people living in long-term care facilities. The dependent variable was excessive polypharmacy which is defined as the concomitant use of ten or more medications. The independent variables included sociodemographic and health information. The Poisson regression with robust variance was used to analyze the effect of the independent variables compared to the outcome.
Results
The prevalence of excessive polypharmacy was 29.3% associated with heart disease (PR=1.40; 95%CI 1.03-1.91), diabetes mellitus (PR=1.52; 95%CI 1.15- 2.01), depression (PR=1.42; 95%CI 1.08-1.87), hospitalization in the last year (PR=1.36; 95%CI 1.02-1.80), and the use of potentially inappropriate medication for older people (PR=2.13; 95%CI 1.60-2.83).
Conclusion
Excessive polypharmacy was frequent among institutionalized older people. The results suggest that prevalent diseases among older people, hospitalization, and the use of potentially inappropriate medications are reasons for the use of excessive polypharmacy by this population. Said findings can guide actions aimed at optimizing the pharmacotherapy prescribed to older people.
Keywords
Polypharmacy; Elderly; Homes for the Aged; Health of the Elderly; Cross-Sectional Studies