Study of the consumptpion of innpropiate medicaments in elder hospitalized in the internal medicine service

Abstract

background: The elderlypatients are characterized by the high degree of polymedication. This factor is the most important in the appearance of adverse effects (EAD). The study of the medicaments helps to establish which are inappropriate and therefore they must move back, diminishing of this form EAD's possibility. Pients and Mthod: pective and observacional Study. Criterion of incorporation: patients of > 64 years old, hospitalized in an Internal Medicine Service. There were defined as inappropriate medicament the medicines of low therapeutic utility, them not indicated, and the inadequate ones for the elder. By means of the SPSS 11.5 program the possible variables related with the consumption were analyzed. Results: 172 elders were included in the study. The average of medicines for person and day belonged to 534 (0-15.52.5% was consuming an inappropriate medicament (366% inadequate for the elder, '5% not indicated and 12% UTBs). The analysis multivariant associates the consumption of these medicaments with a major number of diseases (p < 0.012), to a major consumption of medicines (p < 0.001) and to the origin of the nursing residences (p < 0.00'). only the consumption of medicaments not adapted for the elder is associated with increase of EAD. Conclusion: The half of the elders takes at least a medicament of unnecessary form, and the majority ofthese medicaments favors appearance of the EAD. Copyright © 2008 Aran Ediciones, s.l.