Publications by authors named "Paula Grill"
Article Synopsis
- Care home residents are prone to excessive polypharmacy (taking 10 or more medications), with a prevalence of 32.3%, particularly in those aged 70-84 and living in residential care homes.
- Certain factors influence this trend, such as age and location, while those with dementia tend to have lower rates of excessive polypharmacy.
- Common inappropriate prescribing practices have been identified, especially in drugs leading to issues like constipation, sedation, and renal injury, highlighting the need for improved prescribing safety in care homes.
Background: older people living in care-homes are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of psychotropic and anticholinergic drugs.
Methods: anonymised dispensed prescription data from all 4,478 residents aged ≥ 60 years in 147 care-homes in two Scottish health boards were analysed. Psychotropic medicines examined were antipsychotics, antidepressants, hypnotic/anxiolytics, opioids and gabapentinoids.