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Polypharmacy – we make it worse! A cross‐sectional study from an acute admissions unit
Author(s) -
Betteridge T. M.,
Frampton C. M.,
Jardine D. L.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
internal medicine journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 1444-0903
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2011.02690.x
Subject(s) - polypharmacy , medicine , audit , emergency medicine , cross sectional study , medical unit , drug reaction , adverse effect , medical record , pediatrics , intensive care medicine , drug , psychiatry , management , pathology , economics
Although polypharmacy is a major problem in the elderly, very few data have been published from Australasia. We retrospectively audited 68% of elderly patients admitted acutely to our medical unit ( n = 424, mean age 80.3 ± 8 years) during a 30‐day period (September, 2008). We found that long‐term medications increased during hospital stay from 6.6 ± 4 to 7.7 ± 4 ( P < 0.001). Adverse drug reactions were responsible for 24 admissions (5.7%). Polypharmacy is made worse by acute admission to hospital.