Multi-Morbidity and Polypharmacy in Older People: Challenges and Opportunities for Clinical Practice

Consumers' Perspectives on the Design of a New Digital Frailty Education Course, 'Focus on Frailty': A Qualitative Co-Design Study

INTRODUCTION

Frailty-focused care in hospitals is hindered by systemic barriers, ageism and stereotypes about older adults and frailty. There is a need for frailty education to increase healthcare professionals' and students' understanding of frailty.

OBJECTIVE

As part of a larger study to co-design a new digital frailty education course, 'Focus on Frailty', this study aimed to explore consumers' and caregivers' perspectives on (i) how frailty and older adults should be represented in frailty education and (ii) what healthcare professionals should be taught about caring for older adults and people who are frail in hospitals.

DESIGN

This was a qualitative co-design study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Participants (n = 25) were older Australians, people living with frailty and family caregivers (collectively, 'consumers') who had interacted with the hospital system. This study was conducted in Australia via Zoom and telephone.

METHODS

Participants engaged in focus groups or individual interviews and completed a demographic questionnaire and a Research Engagement Feedback Survey. Qualitative data were inductively analysed using template analysis (codebook thematic analysis). Quantitative demographic data were analysed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Seven themes were identified: (1) Consumers' understanding of frailty as loss, deterioration and vulnerability; (2) Utilise a holistic approach to frailty care; (3) Dispel stereotypes; (4) Value consumers' lived experience expertise; (5) Include diverse representation and educate for diversity; (6) Promote meaningful interactions; and (7) Practice care coordination.

DISCUSSION

Participants acknowledged the multifaceted nature of frailty, advocating for holistic frailty education that considers physical, social, emotional, cognitive, financial and spiritual aspects. They described the importance of representing real-world scenarios and stories, images and videos of real people that reflected the diversity of lived experience. Participants wanted 'Focus on Frailty' to include education on individualised care; looking beyond the acute situation; multidisciplinary care coordination that involved informal caregivers; overcoming stereotypes and ageism; and meaningfully interacting with older adults and people who are frail.

CONCLUSIONS

Consumers wanted to be represented in frailty education in a way that elevates lived experience and celebrates diversity. They expressed that healthcare professionals should be taught to avoid stereotypes, coordinate multidisciplinary care and engage in meaningful interactions with patients. Consumer-focused recommendations for designing frailty education were generated.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

E.M., a consumer partner, contributed to the study design, focus group/interview guide, ethics application and participant information and consent forms. E.M. attended some of the focus groups and contributed to the interpretation of study findings. She also contributed to manuscript revisions. Twenty-five consumers (family caregivers, older adults and people with lived experience of frailty) participated in focus groups and interviews. Participants shared their perspectives on frailty and contributed to the co-design of a new digital frailty education course for healthcare professionals and students.

Understanding Complexities in Collaborative Management of Knowledge on Advance Care Planning for Multi-morbid Patients Within Personalized Integrated Care

Healthcare has shifted from paternalistic model of care to patient-centered care where shared decision making is key. The need to share and manage contributions and expertise of different healthcare professionals underlines the relevance of collaborative knowledge management (CKM). However, CKM in healthcare requires one to understand the complexities in integrating multiple aspects of care and the challenges associated with interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing among healthcare providers. In this study, we use a system modeling approach to understand the complexities in collaborative management of knowledge on advance care planning for multi-morbid patients, within personalized integrated care. To achieve this, focus group discussions (FGD) with 11 participants from Basque Public Health System (Osakidetza) in Spain were involved in identifying the key challenges and developing a systemic thinking model. As a result, three key challenges were identified, i.e., (1) culture, where citizens are not willing to talk about death; (2) healthcare professionals, whose attitude and perspectives need to change; and (3) the current system, that has to change its care model towards a holistic and a shared care model. From the developed causal loop diagrams (CLDs), it is noted that perpetuation of fragmented and paternalistic care is likely to get worse without recognition of the advance care plan (ACP) as a social need and as a crucial part of the clinical practice change.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41666-025-00185-w.

Medications associated with dizziness or hypotension and adverse outcomes: an electronic health record study in older adults with dementia

BACKGROUND

Comorbidities and polypharmacy are common in people with dementia, leading to a higher risk of adverse outcomes. While the impact of anticholinergic properties has been extensively investigated, less is known about other cross-category properties of medications.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether medications with dizziness or hypotension as a side effect are associated with adverse outcomes in older adults with dementia.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

From a South London catchment, 15 210 patients diagnosed with dementia between 2008 and 2017.

METHODS

Medications with dizziness and/or hypotension listed as a side effect were compiled and quantified in the cohort. Multivariable Cox regression models were run to determine the risk of mortality, all-cause emergency hospitalisation and hospitalisation due to falls. Generalised estimating equations were applied to investigate cognitive decline. The final model adjusted for 19 potential confounders, including physical and mental health measures.

RESULTS

Of the patients, 82.2% were receiving at least one dizziness-associated medication and 71.2% at least one hypotension-associated medication. For each additional medication associated with dizziness or hypotension, there was a 4% increased risk of all-cause emergency hospitalisation. No associations were found with hospitalised falls specifically or with mortality or cognitive decline.

CONCLUSION

Medications that potentially cause dizziness or hypotension were associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation, although not specifically hospitalisation caused by falls. More systematic attention should be paid to coprescribing around the time of dementia diagnosis and the potential for rationalising this to minimise adverse drug events.

Enhancing comprehensive geriatric nursing competence: Insights into training status, demands, and willingness among clinical nurses-A multi-center study in China

This study aims to evaluate geriatric nursing competence (GNC), training status, demands and willingness of clinical nurses, and to identify the key factors that influence GNC. A cross-sectional multi-centre study was conducted, including 1024 clinical nurses. Results indicated an overall lower-to-moderate level of GNC, coupled with a low training rate (43.53 %) and a high demand for further training (87.44 %), 67.5 % of nurses expressed willingness to participate in geriatric nursing training, and 35.6 % were willing to engage in geriatric nursing practice. Multiple linear regression analysis identified several independent factors influencing GNC, including training status, willingness to participate in geriatric nursing training and engage in geriatric nursing practice, years of experience in geriatric nursing practice, nursing job satisfaction, and department (i.e., Geriatrics, Internal Medicine, and Surgery). The study underscores the complex interplay of factors shaping GNC among clinical nurses, highlighting significant areas for targeted improvements in geriatric care training.

Modeling the spectrum and determinants of multimorbidity risk among older adults in India

BACKGROUND

India is passing through a parallel phase of demographic and epidemiological transition coupled with the shifting burden of multimorbidity. Unhealthy ageing and escalating morbidity burden have been identified as key drivers of this shifting multimorbidity risk among older adults in India. This study aims to assess the distribution of morbidities and multimorbidity, provide new estimates of multimorbidity risk by socio-economic and demographic factors and further evaluate the multimorbidity count risk conditioned on leading factors.

METHODS

This study used the nationally representative Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), Wave - 1, 2017-18, data of individuals aged 45 years and above. First, we assessed the relative proportional share of morbidities and compositions of multimorbidity counts over age. Second, we applied the Random Forest (RF) model to estimate the age-specific risk of multimorbidity susceptibility associated with socio-economic and demographic factors over age. Finally, conditional plots were constructed to assess the distributional composition of the leading factors affecting multimorbidity counts.

RESULTS

The prevalence of multimorbidity was 43.20%. Eye disorders, followed by cardiovascular disease (CVDs), had the highest proportional share over age. Endocrine diseases, Gastrointestinal Conditions, and Infectious diseases showed a concordant decreasing proportional share in later age. The relative share of five or more multimorbidity counts increased significantly with age. The median expected risk of multimorbidity was significantly higher in females (66 years) than in males (71 years). The study also provides empirical evidence that individuals with higher levels of education, obesity, currently working, and poor childhood health were more prone to higher risk of multimorbidity at an early age. Furthermore, obesity was significantly associated with early multimorbidity onset and led to a pronounced escalation of complex multimorbidity progression, particularly in females.

CONCLUSIONS

Collective public health interventions are crucial to address early multimorbidity onset and burden disparities, to promote healthier ageing, and to address etiological factors.

Effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment in frail older inpatients

BACKGROUND

Evidence regarding the effects of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) on frail older inpatients is inconclusive. Moreover, various prior studies lacked proper patient selection using frailty assessment tools. Our review aimed to assess whether objectively identifying frail patients in clinical settings using a frailty tool and intervening with CGA provides clinical benefits in frail older inpatients.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted by searching PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (January 1998-October 2022). Keywords included frailty, hospitalization, and CGA. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials involving patients aged ≥65 years, with frailty defined by specific tools. The primary outcome was mortality; secondary outcomes included activities of daily living, quality of life, pain, patient satisfaction, polypharmacy, antidepressant use, post-discharge disposition, rehospitalization, and cost-effectiveness.

RESULTS

Of 2587 articles, 18 met inclusion criteria (2724 participants). Meta-analysis of five studies showed no significant differences in overall mortality for frail inpatients receiving CGA. However, CGA reduced mortality during follow-ups of ≤6 months. CGA also improved health-related quality of life, patient satisfaction, and activities of daily living, while reducing polypharmacy and modifying antidepressant use.

CONCLUSIONS

CGA did not significantly reduce overall mortality in frail older inpatients compared to usual care but lowered mortality rates at the 6-month follow-up. CGA also improved quality of life, daily functioning, and medication management, underscoring its value for managing frail older inpatients.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of esterified anti-inflammatory drugs with ethylene glycol linkers: cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties

The development of multifunctional drugs from anti-inflammatory agents is a promising strategy for people with several inflammation-related comorbidities since such medicines could reduce complications, improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs. In this study, esters of ibuprofen, cinnamic and salicylic acids were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic methods, with six new compounds identified. Cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory properties were assessed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium assay in mouse-derived peritoneal macrophages, which were obtained following an intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 ml of a 2% starch solution. All the tested compounds were safe up to 50% concentrations (2.41 × 10⁻⁴ to 2.41 mM), and monoethylene glycol di-ibuprofen (2) displayed the highest toxicity (IC50 = 4.90 mM). Most compounds were non-toxic below 2.41 mM, and all inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in a concentration-dependent manner at 0.24 mM. Ibuprofen and cinnamic acid derivatives (2, 3, 5a and 14) exhibited enhanced anti-inflammatory effects, with IC50 = 0.002 mM for monoethylene glycol mono-ibuprofen (3), while fatty-acid ester salicylates (DEW4) demonstrated weaker NO inhibition. Antioxidant tests (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, ferric reducing ability of plasma and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS)) showed limited activities, with few compounds reducing the ABTS+ radical (0.1 ˂ SC50 ˂ 0.2 mM). Compounds 3, 5a, 7, 12 and 14 are potential new anti-inflammatory drugs, while 2 may have anti-cancer properties.

Frailty, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy: Proposal of the new concept of the geriatric triangle

As people age, the prevalence of frailty, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy increases, presenting significant challenges in geriatric medicine. These three elements are interrelated in a bidirectional manner, forming what can be termed the "geriatric triangle." The complexity of their interconnections means that addressing each issue in isolation is insufficient for achieving an effective resolution. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of this geriatric triangle is essential for appropriate geriatric management. This review aims to illuminate the relationships within the geriatric triangle and to offer insights into potential strategies for managing these interconnected challenges. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2025; 25: 657-662.

Treatment Considerations for Severe Osteoporosis in Older Adults

Osteoporosis, a chronic metabolic bone disease, increases the predisposition to fragility fractures and is associated with considerable morbidity, high health care cost as well as mortality. An elevation in the rate of incident fragility fractures will be observed proportional with the increase in the number of older people worldwide. Severe osteoporosis is currently defined as having a bone density determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry that is more than 2.5 standard deviations (SD) below the young adult mean with one or more past fractures due to osteoporosis. Nutrition, physical activity and adequate vitamin D are essential for optimal bone strength throughout life. Hormone (oestrogen/sex steroid) status is also a major determinant of bone health. This review explores mechanisms involved in bone homeostasis, followed by the assessment and management of severe osteoporosis, including an overview of several treatment options in older people that range from anti-resorptive to anabolic therapies.

Comparative analysis of the prevalence 3-HIT concept in people living with HIV and seronegative patients with chronic conditions. Cross-3HIT Project

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess and compare the occurrence of 3-HIT in people living with HIV (PLWH) and seronegative patients. Additionally, the study investigated whether HIV infection could serve as a predictor of the presence of 3-HIT.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2022 and January 2023 to compare PLWH with a group of seronegative patients with chronic diseases attending an outpatient hospital pharmacy service. The 3-HIT concept encompasses the simultaneous presence of non-adherence to concomitant treatment (NAC), drug-drug interactions (DDIs), and high pharmacotherapeutic complexity in polymedicated patients. The assessment of 3-HIT compliance included NAC, evaluated using both the Morisky-Green questionnaire and electronic pharmacy dispensing records. DDIs were analysed using the Liverpool University and Micromedex databases. Pharmacotherapeutic complexity was measured using the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) tool. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent factors related to 3-HIT. Additionally, an explanatory logistic model was created to investigate whether HIV infection, along with other adjustment variables, could predict compliance with the 3-HIT concept.

RESULTS

The study included 145 patients: 75 PLWH and 70 seronegative patients. The median age was 40 versus 39 years, respectively (p=0.22). Seronegative patients exhibited a higher prevalence of NAC (p<0.01). HIV infection was identified as a protective factor in the context of DDIs (p<0.01). Male sex (p<0.01) and age (p=0.01) were identified as being associated with an MRCI ≥11.25 points. A higher prevalence of 3-HIT was observed in seronegative patients (18.7% vs 48.6%, p<0.01). However, the developed regression model identified HIV infection as a risk factor associated with an increased likelihood of 3-HIT (OR 4.00, 95% CI 1.88 to 8.52, p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The 3-HIT concept exhibited a high prevalence among seronegative patients with chronic diseases, with HIV infection identified as a predicted risk factor for NAC and the development of 3-HIT.

A Quantitative Study Exploring and Comparing Key Factors in Medication Management in the Irish Healthcare Setting

BACKGROUND

Shared decision-making in the context of medication management has been shown to be contingent on information-seeking behaviours such as patient knowledge, self-efficacy and engagement.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to: (i) compare differences in perceptions of patients' knowledge, capabilities and engagement across healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients and family caregivers and (ii) investigate associations between these factors and patients' medication beliefs using a cross-sectional survey study of patients, family caregivers and community and hospital HCPs in Ireland.

METHODS

Two cross-sectional surveys measuring key factors in medication management were distributed to patients and family caregivers taking three or more medicines and HCPs involved in medicines management. χ2 tests were used to investigate differences between HCPs and patients and family caregivers. Multivariable linear regression with adjustment for the socio-demographic covariates was used to examine key factors in medication management and beliefs about medicine (BMQ-General) in patients and family caregivers.

RESULTS

Overall, 636 responses were received; patients and family caregivers (N = 134, 21%), community (N = 313, 49%) and hospital HCPs (N = 189, 30%). A higher proportion of patients and family caregivers self-reported as 'knowledgeable' about medications (N = 76; 56.7%) than community (N = 75, 24%) and hospital HCPs (N = 44, 23.3%) (p < 0.01). The majority of patients and family caregivers were 'fairly/very confident' they could maintain an accurate medication list without assistance (N = 78; 58.2%), compared to the majority of the community (N = 213, 68.1%) and hospital HCPs (N = 114, 60.3%) who were 'not at all/somewhat confident' (p < 0.01.) These patients and family caregivers also had significantly lower overall beliefs in medication harm (β = -1.23, 95% CI: -2.34, -0.13). Patient and family caregivers who asked HCPs about their medication frequently (> 7 times per year) had higher overall beliefs in medication overuse (β = 1.88, 95% CI: 0.06, 3.69) and medication harm (β = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.10, 4.20), compared to those who never asked.

CONCLUSION

There was divergence between HCPs and patients and family caregivers in their assessments of patients' medication knowledge and capabilities. Engagement between HCPs and patients around medication should be purposeful rather than frequent, to alleviate fears about overuse and harm.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

The patient and family caregiver survey was developed in partnership with members of the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group. Feedback was provided by the group to increase accessibility of survey and maximise distribution. In addition, the survey was piloted among members of the public involved in medication management.

Barriers and facilitators to implementing polypharmacy management frameworks: a theory based qualitative exploration of key stakeholders

BACKGROUND

Inappropriate polypharmacy arises through many factors including deficiencies in prescribing processes. Most research has focused on solutions at the clinician/patient levels with less at the organisational level.

AIM

To explore key stakeholder identified barriers and facilitators to implementation of an organisational level polypharmacy management framework.

METHOD

Qualitative data were collected within the Ministry of Health in Oman. Key stakeholders were purposively sampled encompassing senior representatives of pharmacy, medicine, and nursing directors; healthcare policymakers; patient safety leaders; and academic leaders. A semi-structured interview schedule was developed informed by a recent scoping review and underpinned by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Interviews, which continued until data saturation, were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using the Framework Approach.

RESULTS

Thirteen key stakeholders were interviewed, with representation of each target group. Facilitators largely mapped to the CFIR domain of inner setting (i.e., aspects of stakeholder awareness, the electronic health system and national leadership), intervention characteristic (evidence gaps), characteristics of individuals (stakeholders and champions) and process (change strategy). Barriers also largely mapped to the inner setting (policy absence, communication and health professional practice) and outer setting (resource needs).

CONCLUSION

This study has illuminated the facilitators and barriers to the implementation of an organisational level polypharmacy management framework. Further work is required to translate these themes into an actionable plan to implement the framework. Particular attention is required for aspects of the CFIR domain of inner setting (i.e., the internal context within which implementation occurs) as most barriers mapped to this domain.

Chat GPT vs. Clinical Decision Support Systems in the Analysis of Drug-Drug Interactions

The current standard method for the analysis of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) is time-consuming and includes the use of multiple clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) and the interpretation by healthcare professionals. With the emergence of large language models developed with artificial intelligence, an interesting alternative arose. This retrospective study included 30 patients with polypharmacy, who underwent a pDDI analysis between October 2022 and August 2023, and compared the performance of Chat GPT and established CDSSs (MediQ®, Lexicomp®, Micromedex®) in the analysis of pDDIs. A multidisciplinary team interpreted the obtained results and decided upon clinical relevance and assigned severity grades using three categories: (i) contraindicated, (ii) severe, (iii) moderate. The expert review identified a total of 280 clinically relevant pDDIs (3 contraindications, 13 severe, 264 moderate) using established CDSSs, compared with 80 pDDIs (2 contraindications, 5 severe, 73 moderate) using Chat GPT. Chat GPT almost entirely neglected pDDIs with the risk to QTc prolongation (85 vs. 8), which could also not be sufficiently improved by using a specific prompt. To assess the consistency of the results provided by Chat GPT, we repeated each query and found inconsistent results in 90% of the cases. In contrast, Chat GPT provided acceptable and comprehensible recommendations for specific questions on side effects. The use of Chat GPT for the identification of pDDIs cannot be recommended currently, because clinically relevant pDDIs were not detected, there were obvious errors and results were inconsistent. However, if these limitations are addressed accordingly, it is a promising platform for the future.

Dual trajectories of polypharmacy and medication regimen complexity index in people living with human immunodeficiency virus in Spain

INTRODUCTION

Polypharmacy, using six or more medications, may increase the risk of high medication regimen complexity index (MRCI). We aimed to identify the interrelationship between trajectories of polypharmacy and MRCI.

METHODS

People living with HIV (PLWH) (aged ≥ 18) were included in from 2010 to 2021. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to identify polypharmacy trajectories and the complexity index of the medication regimen and the dual GBTM to identify their interrelationship.

RESULTS

In total, 789 participants who met the eligibility criteria were included in the study, with a median age of 47 years. GBTM analysis was used to reveal latent polypharmacy trajectories among PLWH. The findings disclosed four distinctive trajectories, with the majority (50.8%) of the PLWH falling into the "low increasing" trajectory. Furthermore, GBTM identified two trajectories characterized by high MRCI, and a substantial proportion (80.2%) was assigned to the 'slightly increasing low' trajectory group. The study revealed that younger age (less than 50 years) was a significant predictor of membership in the 'consistently low' trajectory, while male gender was associated with the groups of 'low increasing' and 'moderately decreasing' polypharmacy trajectory.

CONCLUSIONS

GBTM failed to discern a discernible interrelationship between polypharmacy and the high MRCI. It is imperative to undertake future studies within this research domain, considering potential effect modifiers, notably the specific type of concomitant drug. This approach is crucial due to the outcomes induced by both polypharmacy and the magnitude of the pharmacotherapeutic complexity in PLWH.

Reducing polypharmacy through deprescribing in the emergency department

Polypharmacy, the use of multiple medications, is a prevalent issue globally that contributes to increased healthcare costs and places additional burdens on patients' organs. This study aims to deprescribe and prevent polypharmacy in the emergency department. We conducted a retrospective review of randomly selected medical records from the Internal Medicine Department of Taipei MacKay Emergency Department, spanning from August 1, 2023, to October 31, 2023. For cases identified as involving polypharmacy, pharmacists provided medication education using the Team Resource Management Polypharmacy Interview Guide, while social workers contacted patients via phone to recommend follow-up visits for deprescribing. Patients experiencing polypharmacy were significantly older than those on appropriate medication regimens (79.8 vs 67.3 years, P = .002). After deprescribing interventions, the average number of medications for polypharmacy patients was 5.9 higher than for those receiving appropriate prescriptions (9.2 vs 3.3, P = .001). The most common conditions associated with polypharmacy were diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and arrhythmia. Polypharmacy poses a significant medication management challenge, with affected patients taking an average of 6.9 more medications than those on appropriate treatment regimens. The resource management module of our team successfully reduced the incidence of polypharmacy by 8.4% in the emergency department.

Perceptions and experiences of chair-based yoga by older adults with multimorbidity - a qualitative process evaluation of the Gentle Years Yoga randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Yoga is increasingly practised by older adults, with growing evidence for its safety and effectiveness across a range of health conditions common to the age group. This process evaluation, embedded within a randomised controlled trial of chair-based yoga for older adults with multimorbidity, qualitatively explored participants' perceptions and experiences of the chair-based yoga programme.

METHODS

One-to-one interviews and class observations were conducted with a subset of trial participants randomised to receive the 12-week chair-based yoga programme. Interview participants were selectively recruited to represent the demographic breadth of the main trial cohort; one yoga class was observed at each delivery site. Interviews were audio recorded, independently transcribed, and analysed according to longitudinal and thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-five yoga participants were interviewed once (N = 10) or twice (N = 15), providing a 40-interview data set. Participants were aged 66-91 years (mean age 74 years), 56% female (N = 14), predominantly White British (N = 22, 88%), with 2-8 long term health conditions (mean 4.5 conditions). Four interlinked and overarching themes predominated: perceptions of healthy ageing, delineating yoga and exercise, yoga as an adaptable multifaceted health tool, and patterns of ongoing yoga practice. Participants equated acute symptom presentation, not multimorbidity, with illness, and mostly viewed their health as good. They distinguished yoga from exercise based on its integration of the breath with physical movements, which provided a mental focus unfound in other physical activities. Impact of the yoga programme ranged from minimal to transformative, dependent on meaningful biopsychosocial improvements. Accordingly, continuation of yoga beyond the trial ranged from none to full integration as a multifaceted health management tool.

CONCLUSIONS

Participant experiences of the yoga programme interlinked views on health, ageing, exercise, and sustainable health management. Yoga presented as a safe, acceptable, and adaptable option for non-pharmacological health management in older adults. Impact on biopsychosocial health was variable, and directly linked to participants' longer term yoga engagement. Education of health professionals and activity providers regarding ageist stereotypes of health and ageing, together with the evidence base for the safety and effectiveness of yoga, could support and broaden yoga's reach and engagement among both older adult and multimorbid cohorts.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN ISRCTN13567538. Registered 18 March 2019.

Medication Management in Patients With Polypharmacy in Primary Care: A Scoping Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines

OBJECTIVE

Inappropriate polypharmacy increases the risk of medication-related issues. Adequate management of polypharmacy is a challenge involving different healthcare professionals, complex decision-making and ideally including patient involvement. The objective of this scoping review was to provide an overview of national recommendations for medication management of patients with polypharmacy in primary care.

METHODS

A scoping review of clinical practice guidelines focusing on medication management in adults with polypharmacy, applicable to primary care was performed. Databases (G-I-N, Turning Research into Practice and PubMed), network, and a global report were screened for guidelines published after 2000 in English, Dutch, German, Spanish, French, or Russian. Raw data were extracted in duplicate using an extraction framework focusing on strategies, involvement of professionals, patient involvement, and implementation. Qualitative content analysis was used. Guideline quality was assessed using AGREE-II. The study was registered with the Open Science Framework.

RESULTS

Eight guidelines originating from eight countries were included. The most common recommended strategy was a medication review conducted by a general practitioner and/or a community pharmacist. Tasks and target population differed per guideline. Most guidelines recommended involving the patient in the process, mostly to elicit the patient's experiences and treatment goals. Few guidelines included advice on the implementation of recommendations. Three out of eight guidelines were of good quality (AGREE-II score >70% in 5/6 domains).

CONCLUSIONS

Most guidelines recommended a medication review, with patient involvement, as a strategy for medication management in polypharmacy in primary care. Guidance on task division and implementation of guidelines in practice was less clear. This review illustrates room for guideline improvements.

Challenges, current innovations, and opportunities for managing type 2 diabetes in frail older adults: a position paper of the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS)-Special Interest Group in Diabetes

PURPOSE

This position paper aims to address the challenges of managing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in frail older adults, a diverse and growing demographic with significant variability in health status. The primary research questions are: How can frailty assessment be effectively integrated into diabetes care? What strategies can optimize glycaemic control and outcomes for frail older adults? How can innovative tools and technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), improve the management of this population?

METHODS

The paper uses the 5 I's framework (Identification, Innovation, Individualization, Integration, Intelligence) to integrate frailty into diabetes care, proposing strategies such as frailty tools, novel therapies, digital technologies, and AI systems. It also examines metabolic heterogeneity, highlighting anorexic-malnourished and sarcopenic-obese phenotypes.

RESULTS

The proposed framework highlights the importance of tailoring glycaemic targets to frailty levels, prioritizing quality of life, and minimizing treatment burden. Strategies such as leveraging AI tools are emphasized for their potential to enhance personalized care. The distinct management needs of the two metabolic phenotypes are outlined, with specific recommendations for each group.

CONCLUSION

This paper calls for a holistic, patient-centered approach to diabetes care for frail older adults, ensuring equity in access to innovations and prioritizing quality of life. It highlights the need for research to fill evidence gaps, refine therapies, and improve healthcare integration for better outcomes in this vulnerable group.

Role of informal carers in medication management for people with long-term conditions: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

To explore the literature about the role of unpaid informal carers in medication management for people with long-term conditions.

DESIGN

Systematic review designed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

INFORMATION SOURCE

MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PsycINFO, Cumulated Index in Nursing and Allied Health Literature (EBSCO), Scopus and Web of Science were searched from inception until April 2024. Additional papers were identified by searching backwards and forwards the reference lists of included papers.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Primary research studies were included if they reported medication-related activities undertaken by carers for people with long-term conditions. Qualitative and mixed methods studies were considered without restriction on language or country.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Relevant data were extracted and summarised in a table. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool was used for quality assessment. Data were narratively synthesised.

RESULTS

From 12 473 identified records, 107 underwent full text screening and 20 studies were included. Family carers were the predominant type of carer. Spouses and adult children constituted the largest caregiving dyads. Based on the required skills, two groups of roles were identified: physical roles, such as prescription management, and cognitive roles, such as decision-making. Carers used different strategies and tools to undertake medication-related activities including compliance aids and alarms. However, carers reported challenges in their experiences of caregiving, flagging up their need for additional support and education to commence such activities.

CONCLUSION

Informal carers undertake a wide variety of medication-related activities. The studies emphasised the need to support families as partners in health outcomes. This systematic review identifies the importance of bridging the gap between carers and healthcare providers. More efforts are needed to empower carers towards better and safer caregiving. Future work could address how to optimise carer involvement and engagement and provide best practice recommendations for carers' support.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42024506694.

Assessing the financial burden of multimorbidity among patients aged 30 and above in India

BACKGROUND

Multimorbidity is associated with significant out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPE) and catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), especially in low- and middle-income countries like India. Despite this, there is limited research on the financial burden of multimorbidity in outpatient and inpatient care, and cross-state comparisons of CHE are underexplored.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using nationally representative data from the National Sample Survey 75th Round 'Social Consumption in India: Health (2017-18)', focusing on patients aged 30 and above in outpatient and inpatient care in India. We assessed multimorbidity prevalence, OOPE, CHE incidence, and CHE intensity. Statistical models, including linear, log-linear, and logistic regressions, were used to examine the financial risk, with a focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), healthcare facility choice, and socioeconomic status and Epidemiological Transition Levels (ETLs).

RESULTS

Multimorbidity prevalence in outpatient care (6.1%) was six times higher than in inpatient care (1.1%). It was most prevalent among older adults, higher MPCE quintiles, urban patients, and those with NCDs. Multimorbidity was associated with higher OOPE, particularly in the rich quintile, patients seeking care from private providers, low ETL states, and rural areas. CHE incidence was highest in low ETL states, private healthcare users, poorest quintile, males, and patients aged 70 + years. CHE intensity, measured by mean positive overshoot, was greatest among the poorest quintile, low ETL states, rural, and male patients. Log-linear and logistic regressions indicated that multimorbidity patients with NCDs, those seeking private care, and those in low ETL states had higher OOPE and CHE risk. The poorest rural multimorbidity patients had the greatest likelihood of experiencing CHE. Furthermore, CHE intensity was significantly elevated among multimorbidity patients with NCDs (95% CI: 19.29-45.79), patients seeking care in private, poorest, and from low ETL states (95% CI: 7.36-35.79).

CONCLUSIONS

The high financial burden of OOPE and CHE among multimorbidity patients, particularly those with NCDs, highlight the urgent need for comprehensive health policies that address financial risk at the primary care level. To alleviate the financial burden among multimorbidity patients, especially in low-resource settings, it is crucial to expand public healthcare coverage, incorporate outpatient care into financial protection schemes, advocate for integrated care models and preventive strategies, establish standardized treatment protocols for reducing unnecessary medications linked to polypharmacy, and leverage the support of digital health technologies.

The co-occurrence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy among middle-aged and older adults in Canada: A cross-sectional study using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) and the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN)

BACKGROUND

There is an increasing prevalence of multiple conditions (multimorbidity) and multiple medications (polypharmacy) across many populations. Previous literature has focused on the prevalence and impact of these health states separately, but there is a need to better understand their co-occurrence.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

This study reported on multimorbidity and polypharmacy among middle-aged and older adults in two national datasets: the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) and the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN). Using consistent methodology, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of CLSA participants and CPCSSN patients aged 45 to 85 years as of 2015. When multimorbidity was defined as two or more conditions, the prevalence was 66.7% and 52.0% in the CLSA and CPCSSN cohorts, respectively. The prevalence of polypharmacy was 14.9% in the CLSA cohort and 22.6% in the CPCSSN cohort when defined as five or more medications. Using the same cut-points, the co-occurrence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy was similar between the two cohorts (CLSA: 14.3%; CPCSSN: 13.5%). Approximately 20% of older adults (65 to 85 years) were living with both multimorbidity and polypharmacy (CLSA: 21.4%; CPCSSN: 18.3%), as compared to almost 10% of middle-aged adults (45 to 64 years) living with this co-occurrence (CLSA: 9.2%; CPCSSN: 9.9%). Across both cohorts and age groups, females had consistently higher estimates of multimorbidity, polypharmacy and the co-occurrence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that multimorbidity and polypharmacy are not interchangeable in understanding population health needs. Approximately one in five older adults in the CLSA and CPCSSN cohorts were living with both multimorbidity and polypharmacy, double the proportion in the younger cohorts. This has implications for future research, as well as health policy and clinical practice, that aim to reduce the occurrence and impact of multimorbidity and unnecessary polypharmacy to enhance the well-being of aging populations.

Assessment of potential drug-drug interactions in hospitalized patients with infectious diseases: an experience from a secondary care hospital

Background

Polypharmacy is common among hospitalized patients with infectious infections owing to comorbidities or concurrent illnesses. This raises the likelihood of drug-drug interactions and creates uncertainty for healthcare providers. This study aimed to assess the potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) among hospitalized patients with infectious diseases in a secondary care hospital.

Methods

A prospective observational study was conducted in the internal medicine ward for six months. Data were collected from patient case records, and prescriptions were screened for pDDIs and classified based on the severity from a portable electronic physician information database (PEPID) resource analyzed using SPSS, version 27.0.

Results

In total, 148 patient case records were analyzed, and 549 pDDIs were identified, with 66.8% having at least one or more DDIs. The mean number of drug interactions was 3.70 ± 4.58 per prescription. The most frequently encountered drug interactions were drug combinations such as bisoprolol with atorvastatin and aspirin with tazobactam/piperacillin. Based on the severity, most pDDIs belong to the 'moderate' category (40.07%). Bivariate analysis showed that age, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, and the number of drugs prescribed were risk factors associated with DDIs (p<0.05). In the multiple binary logistic regression analysis, DDIs were significantly associated with comorbidities and the number of prescribed medications (p<0.0001).

Conclusions

This study observed the prevalence of DDIs in hospitalized patients with infectious diseases of 'moderate' severity. Prescription screening using a drug information database assists in identifying and preventing DDIs early, enhancing drug safety and quality of patient-centered care.

Physical comorbidity is associated with overnight hospitalization in U.S. adults with asthma: an assessment of the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

OBJECTIVE

Identifying the effects of comorbidity on healthcare utilization is critical for understanding the benefits of improved comorbidity management. Asthma is a common respiratory condition, associated with gastrointestinal, metabolic, psychiatric, and other respiratory conditions. Adults with asthma represent a key population in understanding comorbidity and its consequences. The objective was to explore the relationship between comorbidity and overnight hospitalizations in U.S. adults with asthma.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross-sectional sample of 3,887 subjects aged 20-79 was aggregated from seven cycles (2005-2018) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The survey design was created using the full seven cycles, then a subpopulation was used for the analysis. Design-based modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors compared the prevalence of overnight hospitalizations in subjects with and without comorbidities. Comorbidity was defined as the presence of one or more additional chronic conditions.

RESULTS

Over half (61.6%) of patients with asthma reported having comorbidities. The overnight hospitalization prevalence was higher in those with comorbidities (21.6%) than those without (7.4%). The adjusted prevalence ratio of overnight hospitalizations in those with comorbidities vs. those without was 2.02 (95% CI: 1.54-2.66). Conclusions from sensitivity analyses remained the same.

CONCLUSIONS

Comorbidity in U.S. adult asthma patients is associated with increased overnight hospitalizations. Study results concur with examinations of other healthcare utilization outcomes, revealing how comorbidity influences healthcare utilization patterns in patients with asthma. The reduction of overnight hospitalizations should be a targeted goal when developing and evaluating interventions to manage comorbidities in patients with asthma.

Multimorbidity frameworks impact the composition of patterns and their associations with patient-reported outcomes among people with HIV

Objectives: There is no consensus definition for multimorbidity. We explored how different frameworks affect multimorbidity patterns and their associations with patient-reported outcomes using the prospective, observational Pharmacokinetic and clinical Observations in PeoPle over fiftY (POPPY) Study. Methods: Sixty-four conditions were classified into three frameworks: Framework-D (diseases), Framework-DCI (diseases and clinical indicators) and Framework-DCIS (diseases, clinical indicators and symptoms). Principal component analysis (PCA) identified five comparable patterns: Cardiovascular disease (CVD), Sexually transmitted diseases, Metabolic/AIDS-related, Mental health/Other, and Cancer. A sixth pattern was identified using Framework-D (Infections/Skin) and Framework-DCI/DCIS (Cardiometabolic). Using PCA loadings, burden z-scores were calculated for each individual/pattern, and their associations with functional impairment (Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living <8), hospitalisation and SF-36 physical and mental health scores were assessed using logistic or linear regression. Results: The analyses included 1073 people with HIV (median [interquartile range; IQR] age 52 [47 - 59] years; 85% male; 97% on ART). Clinical indicators and symptoms were correlated with the CVD, Cardiometabolic and Mental health/Other patterns. While differences were marginal, Framework-DCI showed slightly stronger relationships between CVD and functional impairment, hospitalisation and physical health compared to Framework-D. Similarly, Framework-DCIS demonstrated somewhat stronger associations between Metabolic/AIDS-related and Mental health/Other patterns with certain outcomes. Conclusions: The inclusion of clinical indicators and symptoms were associated with some changes in the strength of associations between certain multimorbidity patterns and outcomes. Our findings suggest that their inclusion in multimorbidity frameworks should be guided by the specific research context and question, rather than solely by effect size on patient-important outcomes.

Medication Literacy and Medication Self-Management: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hospitalised Patients (65+) With Polypharmacy

This study aimed to examine the relationship between medication literacy and the degree to which patients are considered capable of medication self-management, the factors influencing the strength of this relationship and the factors influencing a patient's capability for medication self-management. Between January and April 2022, a cross-sectional survey was conducted on hospitalised patients (65+) with polypharmacy. Medication literacy was evaluated using the MEDication Literacy Assessment of Geriatric patients and informal caregivers (MED-fLAG). The SelfMED assessment determined a patient's capability for medication self-management. The relationship between MED-fLAG and SelfMED was explored with Pearson's r. Moderation analysis was used to explore the factors influencing the strength of the relationship between both. Linear regression explored the factors influencing SelfMED scores. In total, 169 patients participated in the study. Patients considered themselves more capable of in-hospital medication self-management (8/10 rating) compared to nurses' and physicians' opinions (6/10 rating). Interactive medication literacy scored higher (mean = 3.0) than functional (mean = 2.9) and critical medication literacy (mean = 2.8). The more medication literacy skills, the more patients were considered able for medication self-management by healthcare providers (r = 0.630, p < 0.001). Moderation analysis could not reveal any factors that significantly affected the strength of the relationship between both. Age, managing medication independently at home, the number of chronic conditions and medication literacy were significant predictors of a patient's capability for in-hospital medication self-management. This study demonstrated a rather strong correlation between the results of the MED-fLAG and the SelfMED assessment. Hence, SelfMED can be used as a stand-alone first screening instrument to determine a patient's capability for in-hospital medication self-management, without first assessing medication literacy. MED-fLAG can provide valuable insights into the medication literacy of patients considered less capable of managing their medication, allowing medication information and interventions to be tailored to the patient.

Operation Polypharmacy: a pharmacist-led ambulatory care clinic design and evaluation for older patients

The unintended consequences of polypharmacy pose significant risks to older adults. The complexities of managing numerous medications from multiple prescribers demand a comprehensive approach to mitigate harms. Pharmacist-led clinics have been shown to improve outcomes in patients with diabetes and hypertension. Pharmacist-led clinics focused on broader issues of polypharmacy have the potential to lead to better outcomes for older patients. We describe the design and the pre-post evaluation of a polypharmacy clinic. We conducted a retrospective standardized chart review of polypharmacy visits during October and November 2022. Systematic data collection was completed by March 2023. Our review included 84 polypharmacy visits; the average patient age was 80. Patients were on 17.3 (range: 7-33) medications at-visit and 15.9 (range: 4-30) medications post-visit, with an average of 1.4 medications deprescribed per visit. In patients with many medications (range: 17-33 medications) at the polypharmacy consult visit, 2.6 medications were deprescribed post-visit. In patients with a moderate number of medications (range: 7-16 medications) at-visit, 0.9 medications were deprescribed post-visit. Medication list accuracy increased to 72% at follow-up visits compared to initial visits (66%). 44% of patients were on 1 or more Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) and 24% were on 1 or more Drugs with Strong Anticholinergic Properties (DSAPs) at initial visits. At follow-up visit, the proportion of patients with PIMs decreased by 28%, and the proportion of patients with DSAPs decreased by 54%. Our evaluation demonstrates the value of a polypharmacy clinic in improving medication list accuracy and deprescribing PIMs and DSAPs.

Dual trajectories of polypharmacy and medication regimen complexity index in people living with HIV in Spain

BACKGROUND

Polypharmacy, using 6 or more medications, may increase the risk of high medication regimen complexity index (MRCI). We aimed to identify the interrelationship between trajectories of polypharmacy and MRCI.

METHODS

People living with HIV (PLWH) (aged ≥18) were included in from 2010 to 2021. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to identify polypharmacy trajectories and the complexity index of the medication regimen and the dual GBTM to identify their interrelationship.

RESULTS

In total, 789 participants who met the eligibility criteria were included in the study, with a median age of 47 years. GBTM analysis was used to reveal latent polypharmacy trajectories among PLWH. The findings disclosed four distinctive trajectories, with the majority (50.8%) of the PLWH falling into the 'low increasing' trajectory. Furthermore, GBTM identified 2 trajectories characterized by high MRCI, and a substantial proportion (80.2%) was assigned to the 'slightly increasing low' trajectory group. The study revealed that younger age (<50 years) was a significant predictor of membership in the 'consistently low' trajectory, while male gender was associated with the groups of 'low increasing' and 'moderately decreasing' polypharmacy trajectory.

CONCLUSIONS

GBTM failed to discern a discernible interrelationship between polypharmacy and the high MRCI. It is imperative to undertake future studies within this research domain, considering potential effect modifiers, notably the specific type of concomitant drug. This approach is crucial due to the outcomes induced by both polypharmacy and the magnitude of the pharmacotherapeutic complexity in PLWH.

Evaluation of drug prescriptions on hospital admission in older trauma patients using the Fit fOR The Aged (FORTA) rules

BACKGROUND

Orthogeriatric comanagement of older patients with hip fractures has been proven to provide significant benefits concerning functional status, readmissions, nursing home placement, in-hospital complications and mortality. Medication management in older individuals is a cornerstone in orthogeriatric comanagement. The aim of the study was to analyze the extent of overprescription and undertreatment in older trauma patients.

METHODS

Personal and medical data of consecutively admitted older trauma patients were analyzed. Evaluation of medication was conducted according to the Fit fOR The Aged (FORTA) criteria. Data were retrieved from an ongoing observational study on the incidence of delirium in surgical patients.

RESULTS

A total of 492 patients were enrolled. There were 374 cases of overprescription and 575 cases of undertreatment. Only 78 (16%) patients had neither overprescription nor undertreatment on admission. Overprescription and undertreatment were most prevalent in cardiovascular disease. Undertreatment was most prevalent concerning osteoporosis. The number of prescribed drugs correlated with the Charlson Comorbidity Index (r = 0.478, p < 0.001), age (r = 0.122; p < 0.01), anticholinergic burden (r = 0.528, p < 0.001), FORTA score (r = 0.352, p < 0.001), and overtreatment (r = 0.492, p < 0.001), but not with undertreatment. Undertreatment also correlated with age (r = 0.172, p < 0.001) and overtreatment (r = 0.364, p < 0.01). The FORTA score correlated significantly with age (r = 0.159, p < 0.001), anticholinergic burden (ACB) score (r = 0.496, p < 0.001), Katz index (r = -0.119, p < 0.01), IADL score (r = -0.243, p < 0.001), and clinical frailty scale (CFS, r = 0.23, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The high numbers of overprescription and undertreatment in older trauma patients underlines the need for orthogeriatric comanagement. Besides the evaluation of multimorbidity and geriatric problems, drug management is a core topic. Future studies should investigate the impact of medication management on outcome parameters such as quality of life, functional status, and mortality. A benefit can be expected.

Contribution of the community pharmacist workforce to primary care through the lens of medicines classification: comparison of Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia

Introduction Optimal use of the workforce in primary care is critical due to increasing complexity and demand resulting from multi-morbidity in ageing populations. Improving public access to medicines by making them available via a pharmacist without prescription can support self-care while ensuring oversight by a health professional. Aim The aim of this paper was to identify and explore key differences between New Zealand and Australia in medicines classified nationally for pharmacist-only non-prescription supply. Methods Medicines legally classified to allow sale by a pharmacist without a prescription were identified and compared between the two countries as of 1 February 2024. Based on consensus among the research team, notable differences were subjected to qualitative consideration about how medicines classification may be used to extend the role of pharmacists in primary care. Results Overall, New Zealand has a less restrictive approach to classification than Australia providing New Zealanders increased access to medicines via a pharmacist in two key therapeutic areas: sexual and reproductive health and infection. Oral contraceptives, sildenafil, antibiotics for urinary tract infection and two COVID-19 antivirals were classified for supply without prescription via pharmacists in New Zealand but not nationally in Australia, although some alternative legislative mechanisms are emerging at state level. Discussion Medicines classification has an ongoing role in enabling pharmacist contribution to primary care. Medicines classification needs to be considered alongside commissioning of services and other policy to facilitate integration of community pharmacy-provided care within the wider primary care environment. Digital tools supporting information sharing, collaboration and communication are key.

Risk of sarcopenia, frailty and malnutrition as predictors of postoperative delirium in surgery

BACKGROUND

The risk factors for postoperative delirium are numerous and complex. One approach to identifying patients at risk is to evaluate their nutritional status. The aim of this prospective study is to better understand nutrition as a potential risk factor for postoperative delirium.

METHODS

A comprehensive preoperative assessment (Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), the SARC-F questionnaire, Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF)) were carried out as a prospective clinical study on 421 patients (70+) from 4 different surgical disciplines. Postoperatively, patients are examined daily for the presence of delirium using the 4AT screening tool (Arousal, Attention, Abbreviated Mental Test - 4, Acute change), the Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (NuDesc) and the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) with its adaptation for the intensive care unit (CAM-ICU).

RESULTS

If there were indications of frailty or sarcopenia in the CFS or SARC-F, the association with delirium was increased 5.34-fold (OR of 5.34 [95% CI: 2.57;11.1]) and 5.56-fold (OR of 5.56 [95% CI: 2.97;10.4]) respectively. Delirium also occurred significantly more frequently with the risk of malnutrition or manifest malnutrition (MNA-SF) than with a normal nutritional status.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients' preoperative and nutritional status significantly impact the risk of developing postoperative delirium. Factors such as frailty, sarcopenia and possible malnutrition must be considered when implementing an effective and targeted preoperative assessment.

TRAIL REGISTRATION

German Clinical Trials Registry at https://www.drks.de/DRKS00028614 , Registered 25 March 2022.

Usability of an automated medication dispensation device and adherence dashboard: A study protocol

Non-adherence to prescribed medication regimens can lead to suboptimal control of chronic health conditions and increased hospitalizations. Older adults may find it particularly challenging to self-manage medications due to physical and cognitive limitations, resulting in medication non-adherence. While automated medication dispensing technologies may offer a solution for medication self-management among older adults, these technologies must demonstrate usability before effectiveness can be investigated and products made available for widespread use. This study will aim to measure usability, workload, and unassisted task completion rates of an automated medication dispenser and medication adherence dashboard on the Medipense portal with older adults and their clinicians, respectively. This study is designed as a convergent parallel mixed-methods observational study with older adults and their clinicians. Usability will be examined with the use of the System Usability Scale (SUS) while NASA Load Index (NASA-TLX) will be utilized to assess the workload of both the device and the adherence monitoring platform. Cognitive walkthrough will be utilized prior to usability testing to identify series of steps required to use the automated dispenser and adherence dashboard. The study will assess the unassisted task completion rates to successfully operate the device. Semi-structured interviews with both types of participants will provide qualitative data with which to comprehensively gauge the automated dispenser user experience. The results of this study will allow us to examine usability of both the automated medication dispensing system and the adherence monitoring dashboard from older adult and health-care provider perspectives. The results of this study will highlight and address the challenges with usability that older adults and health-care providers may face with this device and dashboard. The results of this study will be used to optimize the usability of both the automated medication dispenser and the adherence dashboard. In clinical practice, usability of technology is important to establish prior to full-scale implementation. Products that are not user friendly, add to workload, impact workflow, or are difficult to navigate by both clinicians and population in general may not be adopted. Usability permits an evaluation of the products, to identify problems that must be addressed prior to implementation and to ensure products are useful in clinical practice.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment for predicting postoperative delirium in oral and maxillofacial surgery: a prospective cohort study

Identifying high-risk patients for developing postoperative delirium (POD) is essential for optimizing the medical field's human and financial resources through specialty-relevant geriatric assessments that can aid in establishing prehabilitation strategies. This study aims to identify geriatric screening tools to predict preoperative delirium and explore the high-risk elderly patients undergoing oral maxillofacial surgery. A comprehensive geriatric assessment encompassing 23 instruments was used to evaluate inpatients undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia, preoperatively and postoperatively. Selective intraoperative and postoperative variables were also assessed for their relation to POD occurrence. This prospective study included 90 patients (mean age 79.0 years) from August 2022 to August 2023. The POD rate in this cohort was (8.9% n = 8). The Clock-Drawing Test (CDT) was significantly associated with POD occurrence (p = 0.005). Significant associations were found between POD occurrence and operation type (p = 0.018), duration (p = 0.026), length of stay ( p = 0.002), and postoperative hemoglobin levels (p = 0.027). This study highlights the importance of comprehensive geriatric assessments in predicting POD in elderly patients. Future research should build on these findings to enhance preoperative care strategies and improve outcomes.Trial registration: German Register of Clinical Studies, DRKSID DRKS00028614.

Exploring Older People's Experiences and Factors Associated With 30-Day Hospital Readmission: A Qualitative Study Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Hospital readmission has a negative impact on older people and the healthcare system. Current hospital readmission research predominantly reports on clinical outcomes based on cross-sectional data. Research exploring patients' experiences and priorities is limited. This study aimed to explore older people's experiences of hospital readmission in order to develop an understanding of what matters most to them.

METHODS

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted to generate data that were analysed using principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis.

RESULTS

Ten participants over 65 years old, who had experienced unplanned hospital readmission within a period of 30 days, were recruited from a large single tertiary referral centre. Four themes emerged: 'All about me without me', 'Fragmented and ad hoc post-discharge support', 'My readmission experience and what led me back' and 'Segregated health and social services that are detached from people's needs'.

CONCLUSION

The study findings suggest that patients should be more involved in decisions about their care, and health professionals should endeavour to better understand the contexts, resources and access to formal and informal support of patients. Effective communication and stronger continuum of care could be a key to patients' recovery and avoidance of hospital readmission. This research highlights the importance of shared decision-making and patient-centred care to improve quality of care, maintain independence and preserve older adult's right to feel valued.

Deprescribing Hypertension Medication in Older Adults: Can It Lower Drug Burden Without Causing Harm?

Due to the high prevalence of older individuals with multiple morbidities, polypharmacy, and exposed to unnecessary or inappropriate treatments that can cause potentially serious adverse effects, better medication management should be an objective of all health professionals. This is particularly important in older patients with hypertension. Antihypertensive deprescribing and non-pharmacological strategies have been disseminated as viable and safe alternatives for improving the quality of care for hypertension in the older population.

Occurrence of Malnutrition among Seniors in Poland Depending on the Place of Residence: An Analysis of Socioeconomic and Health Risk Factors

The aging population in Poland poses significant socioeconomic and health challenges, particularly regarding malnutrition among seniors. This study examines the impact of place of residence on the nutritional status and related health outcomes of older adults. Data were collected from 338 community-dwelling seniors and those in long-term care facilities. The results indicate that long-term care residents exhibited significantly higher frailty and depression levels and poorer nutritional status, functional fitness, gait, and balance compared to those in communities. Self-reported quality of life did not differ significantly between groups. Regardless of residence, having a family correlated with better nutritional status, quality of life, and functional fitness and lower frailty and depression levels. Malnutrition was significantly associated with reduced functional fitness across all residences, and well-nourished individuals in care facilities had lower functional fitness than those who were at home. Community-dwelling residents had significantly lower frailty levels, with frailty negatively correlating with nutritional status. Normal nutritional status was linked to higher balance and gait scores, indicating a lower fall risk, with the risk further reduced for those living in community settings. Additionally, normal nutritional status correlated with lower depression levels and higher quality of life, with malnourished individuals experiencing better quality of life in community-dwelling settings. These findings underscore the critical role of residence and family support in elderly nutrition and health outcomes.

Acute Coronary Syndrome in Elderly Patients: How to Tackle Them?

Elderly patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) represent a growing demographic population. These patients typically present more comorbidities and experience poorer outcomes compared to younger patients. Furthermore, they are less frequently subjected to revascularization procedures and are less likely to receive evidence-based medications in both the short and long-term periods. Assessing frailty is crucial in elderly patients with ACS because it can influence management decisions, as well as risk stratification and prognosis. Indeed, treatment decisions should consider geriatric syndromes, frailty, polypharmacy, sarcopenia, nutritional deficits, prevalence of comorbidities, thrombotic risk, and, at the same time, an increased risk of bleeding. Rigorous clinical assessments, clear revascularization criteria, and tailored approaches to antithrombotic therapy are essential for guiding personalized treatment decisions in these individuals. Assessing frailty helps healthcare providers identify patients who may benefit from targeted interventions to improve their outcomes and quality of life. Elderly individuals who experience ACS remain significantly underrepresented and understudied in randomized controlled trials. For this reason, the occurrence of ACS in the elderly continues to be a particularly complex issue in clinical practice, and one that clinicians increasingly have to address, given the general ageing of populations. This review aims to address the complex aspects of elderly patients with ACS to help clinicians make therapeutic decisions when faced with such situations.

Prevalence and Sociodemographic Correlates of Chronic Pain Among a Nationally Representative Sample of Older Adults in the United States

Subgroup analyses conducted among U.S. national survey data have estimated that 27 to 34% of adults aged ≥65 years have chronic pain. However, none of these studies focused specifically on older adults or examined disparities in chronic pain in those aged ≥65 years. To obtain current information on the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of chronic pain in U.S. older adults, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted of data collected from 3,505 older adults recruited from the AmeriSpeak Panel. Chronic pain was defined as pain on most or every day in the last 3 months. Nationally representative chronic pain prevalence estimates were computed by incorporating study-specific survey design weights. Logistic regression analyses evaluated differences in chronic pain status as a function of sociodemographic characteristics (eg, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status). The results indicated that 37.8% of older adults reported chronic pain. Compared with White older adults, Black (odds ratio [OR] = .6, 95% CI: .4-.8) and Asian (OR = .2, 95% CI: .1-.8) older adults were less likely to report chronic pain. The prevalence of chronic pain was also lower among those who reported the highest (vs lowest) household income (OR = .6, 95% CI: .4-.8). Those who were not working due to disability (vs working as a paid employee) were more likely to report chronic pain (OR = 3.2, 95% CI: 2.1-5.0). This study was the first to recruit a large, representative sample of older adults to estimate the prevalence of chronic pain and extends prior work by identifying subgroups of older adults that are disproportionately affected. PERSPECTIVE: This study was the first to estimate the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of chronic pain among a large, representative sample of U.S. older adults. The findings underscore the high prevalence of chronic pain and highlight disparities in chronic pain prevalence rates among this historically understudied population.

Building an effective medicines optimisation model: a health system approach

This commentary narrates on the building of an effective and innovative medicines optimisation model. It discusses the essential features, emphasizes the need, and considers the strong health and pharmacy system as a prerequisite before such a model could be built. The paper argues that it is important to strengthen the health system before the elements of pharmaceutical care and medicine optimisation can take shape. It discusses the discourse and interplay between medicine use and medicine access research. The other important elements to include are the "selection of medicines by health technology assessment", "economic evaluation of pharmacy services", "pharmacists' remuneration by the government", "Health system strengthening status", "quality use of generic medicines programmes", "rationale prescribing", "access to medicines and medicines pricing", "medicines advertising" and the "state of pharmacy practice and the development of the pharmacist's role". A set of different high-, middle- and low-income countries are used to provide examples of the status of the health system and the subsequent development of pharmacy practice and medicines optimisation. The countries include the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Türkiye, Malaysia, India, and Pakistan.

Nurses' responses to patients' medication self-management problems in hospital and the use of recommendations

This study aimed to describe the use of recommendations as a guide for healthcare providers to support patients experiencing medication self-management problems and to evaluate their feasibility, user-friendliness and usefulness. Between March and August 2023, 58 hospitalized patients completed a self-assessment on medication self-management problems. The problems addressed in this self-assessment were based on a list of frequently encountered medication self-management problems from previous research. Consequently, 18 nurses responded to the reported problems using the recommendations. Nurses evaluated the feasibility, user-friendliness and usefulness of these recommendations through a survey. A total of 217 medication self-management problems were reported by 58 patients. Nurses intervened in 52% of the problems using the recommendations. According to nurses, the recommendations were user-friendly and feasible but required a substantial time investment. Considering these pilot-based results, the recommendations have the potential to be a valuable resource for nurses in practice, though this potential requires further exploration.

The relationship between multimorbidity and cognitive function in older Chinese adults: based on propensity score matching

Objective

The goal of this study was to further validate the effect of multimorbidity on cognitive performance in older adults after controlling for confounders using propensity score matching (PSM).

Methods

A cross-sectional survey of older adult people aged 60 years or older selected by convenience sampling was conducted in seven medical institutions, three communities, and five nursing homes in Zunyi City, Guizhou Province. The data collected included general information, health-related information, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Variables were controlled for confounders by PSM to analyze differences in cognitive ability between multimorbidity and nonmultimorbidity older adults. Logistic regression and multivariate-adjusted restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves for matched samples were used to assess the relationship between multimorbidity and cognitive decline.

Results

A total of 14,175 respondents were enrolled, and the mean age of the participants included in this study was 71.26 ± 7.1 years, including 7,170 (50. 58%) of the participants were males, 7,005 (49.42%) were females, and 5,482 participants (38.67%) were screened for cognitive decline. After PSM, logistic regression analysis revealed that multimorbidity was a risk factor for cognitive decline (OR = 1.392, 95% CI = 1.271-1.525, p < 0.001). The RCS show that the risk of cognitive decline is always greater in older adults with multimorbidity than in older adults without multimorbidity at the same age. Age, sex, marital status, educational level, monthly income, drinking status, participation in social activities, and exercise were influential factors for cognitive decline in older adults (p < 0.05). The incidence of cognitive decline in older adults with multimorbidity was also greater than that in older adults with one chronic disease (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The risk of cognitive decline in older adults with multimorbidity is greater than that in older adults without multimorbidity; therefore, the government should strengthen the prevention and treatment of multimorbidity in older adults to further protect their cognitive abilities.

Assessment of drug therapy satisfaction amongst the elderly: A patient reported outcomes measures approach

BACKGROUND

Understanding elderly experiences enhance healthcare outcomes and patient satisfaction. Recognizing caregivers' role and implementing supportive measures enhance care.

OBJECTIVES

Quantify drug satisfaction using patient-reported outcomes measures approach. Assess caregiver burden using short version of Burden Scale for Family Caregivers.

METHODS

Six-month cross-sectional study in Department of Geriatrics. Elderly (≥60), minimum one comorbidity, admitted for >48 h, and consenting to participate were enrolled. Patient satisfaction assessed using Treatment Satisfaction with Medicines Questionnaire (SATMED-Q). SPSS version 27 used to calculate odds ratio.

RESULTS

282 participants enrolled. SATMED-Q score 47.41 ± 10.34, indicating overall satisfaction. Treatment satisfaction range 47.07 % to 100 %. Age [OR 0.964, 95 % CI 0.932-0.996 (p = 0.029)] and education [OR 1.500, 95 % CI 1.129-1.992 (p = 0.005)] influenced satisfaction. 268 [95.03 %] had caregivers, 14 [4.96 %] did not. Caregiver burden score 9.25 ± 9.11.

CONCLUSION

Insights obtained from assessing satisfaction and caregiver burden enables physicians to improve welfare of elderly and caregivers.

Association of Drug-Disease Interactions with Mortality or Readmission in Hospitalised Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Multimorbidity is common in hospitalised adults who are at increased risk of inappropriate prescribing including drug-disease interactions. These interactions occur when a medicine being used to treat one condition exacerbates a concurrent medical condition and may lead to adverse health outcomes. The aim of this review was to examine the association between drug-disease interactions and the risk of mortality and readmission in hospitalised middle-aged and older adults.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted on drug-disease interactions in hospitalised middle-aged (45-64 years) and older adults (≥65 years). The study protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (Registration Number: CRD42022341998). Drug-disease interactions were defined as a medicine being used to treat one condition with the potential to exacerbate a concurrent medical condition or that were inappropriate based on a comorbid medical condition. Both observational and interventional studies were included. The outcomes of interest were mortality and readmissions. The databases searched included MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS and the Cochrane Library from inception to 12 July, 2022. A meta-analysis was performed to pool risk estimates using the random-effects model.

RESULTS

A total of 563 studies were identified and four met the inclusion criteria. All were observational studies in older adults, with no studies identified in middle-aged adults. Most of the studies were at risk of bias because of an inadequate adjustment for covariates and a lack of clarity around individuals lost to follow-up. There were various definitions of drug-disease interactions within these four studies. Two studies assessed drugs that were contraindicated based on renal function, one assessed an individual drug-disease combination, and one was based on the clinical judgement of a pharmacist. There were two studies that showed an association between drug-disease interactions and the outcomes of interest. One reported that the use of diltiazem in patients with heart failure was associated with an increased risk of readmissions. The second reported that the use of medicines contraindicated according to renal function were associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and a composite of mortality and readmission. Three of the studies (total study population = 5705) were amenable to a meta-analysis, which showed no significant association between drug-disease interactions and readmissions (odds ratio = 1.0, 95% confidence interval 0.80-1.38).

CONCLUSIONS

Few studies were identified examining the risk of drug-disease interactions and mortality and readmission in hospitalised adults. Most of the identified studies were at risk of bias. There is no universal accepted definition of drug-disease interactions in the literature. Further studies are needed to develop a standardised and accepted definition of these interactions to guide further research in this area.

Exploring depression, comorbidities and quality of life in geriatric patients: a study utilizing the geriatric depression scale and WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire

BACKGROUND

The increasing prevalence of depression among older adults is a growing concern. Chronic health conditions, cognitive impairments, and hospitalizations amplify emotional distress and depression levels in this population. Assessing the quality of life is crucial for the well-being of older adults.

AIMS

Our study aimed to examine how comorbidities affect depression and quality of life in geriatric patients in both outpatient and hospital settings.

METHODS

100 patients (50 from internal medicine outpatient clinic and 50 from internal medicine ward) were included in the study according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were classified into different age groups (65-74 years, 75-84 years and ≥ 85 years). Data on patients' location of application, age, sex, living alone or with family status, number of comorbid diseases, types of accompanying diseases were recorded and WHOQOL-OLD and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) questionnaires were administered. Results were evaluated using SPSS.

RESULTS

The WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire score was higher in the 65-74 age group compared to other groups, but there was no significant difference between outpatient group and hospitalized group. Patients with comorbid diseases had lower WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire scores compared to those without comorbid diseases. In the 75-84 and ≥ 85 age groups, the GDS scores were higher compared to the 65-74 age group. In hospitalized group, GDS scores were higher than outpatient clinic group. In patients with comorbid diseases, GDS scores were higher than the ones without comorbid diseases.

DISCUSSION

Our findings indicate that quality of life is higher among those aged 65-74, with lower incidence of depression compared to other age groups. Hospitalization correlates with higher depression rates but not quality of life. As number of comorbid diseases increases in older adults, the frequency of depression rises and the quality of life declines.

CONCLUSIONS

Early detection and intervention for depression are crucial for enhancing older adults' well-being.

Potentially inappropriate anticholinergic drug use among older adults in primary healthcare: prevalence and determinants

BACKGROUND

Considering the vulnerability of older adults to adverse drug reactions, medications with strong anticholinergic properties are considered potentially inappropriate for this population. This study aims to characterize older adults' profile of anticholinergics use and to identify the factors associated with their potentially inappropriate use.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on 1200 older adults in primary health care centers of Portugal between April 2021 and August 2022. Potentially inappropriate use was assessed according to the 2023 Beers criteria. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine associations between independent variables and potentially inappropriate use.

RESULTS

A 8.9% (95% CI 0.074-0.107) of the older adults were exposed to one or more potentially inappropriate anticholinergics, and amitriptyline was the most used (2.0%). Multivariate analysis revealed that use was associated with a higher mean number of medications (OR 1.173, 95% CI 1.115-1.234), diagnoses of depression (OR 2.889, 95% CI 1.785-4.674) and psychiatric disorders (OR 1.654, 95% CI 1.003-2.729).

CONCLUSIONS

This study underscores the importance of vigilance in prescribing anticholinergic medications to older adults, particularly those with higher medication burdens and mental health diagnoses. By identifying factors associated with potentially inappropriate use, healthcare providers can better tailor medication regimens to mitigate risks and optimize the well-being of older adults.

Proud but Powerless: A Qualitative Study of Homecare Workers´ Work Experiences and Their Suggestions for How Care for Homebound Older Adults Can Be Improved

Many older adults with complex care needs live at home due to ageing-in-place policies. This study explored homecare workers' experiences and suggestions for improvements of care. Twelve semi-structured interviews were analyzed thematically, and revealed pride, capability, and satisfaction in their work, yet they feel undervalued and lack support. They advocate for integrated care models, recognition of their competence, flexible work approaches, and committed leadership. This would enhance patient care and address their own working conditions, addressing concerns from being relegated to the bottom of the hierarchy. They emphasize the need for comprehensive approaches, spanning from housekeeping to end-of-life palliative care.

Polypharmacy and Elevated Risk of Severe Adverse Events in Older Adults Based on the Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management-Korea Adverse Event Reporting System Database

BACKGROUND

Older adults are at a higher risk of severe adverse drug events (ADEs) because of multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and lower physiological function. This study aimed to determine whether polypharmacy, defined as the use of ≥ 5 active drug ingredients, was associated with severe ADEs in this population.

METHODS

We used ADE reports from the Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management-Korea Adverse Event Reporting System Database, a national spontaneous ADE report system, from 2012 to 2021 to examine and compare the strength of association between polypharmacy and severe ADEs in older adults (≥ 65 years) and younger adults (20-64 years) using disproportionality analysis.

RESULTS

We found a significant association between severe ADEs of cardiac and renal/urinary Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities System Organ Classes (MedDRA SOC) with polypharmacy in older adults. Regarding individual-level ADEs included in these MedDRA SOCs, acute cardiac arrest and renal failure were more significantly associated with polypharmacy in older adults compared with younger adults.

CONCLUSION

The addition of new drugs to the regimens of older adults warrants close monitoring of renal and cardiac symptoms.

The burden and care cascade in young and middle-aged patients with diabetes hypertension comorbidity with abdominal obesity in India: A nationally representative cross-sectional survey

We ascertained the burden, determinants, and care cascade in the young and middle-aged patients having co-existing hypertension (HTN), Diabetes Mellitus (DM), and abdominal obesity in India from a secondary data analysis of nationally representative data. The study examined cross-sectional data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted in India from 2019 to 2021 in 788974 individuals aged 15-49 years including 695707 women and 93267 men. The weighted prevalence of DM-HTN comorbidity with high waist circumference in the sample was 0.75% (95% CI: 0.71 to 0.79) including 46.33% (95% CI: 44.06 to 48.62) newly diagnosed cases detected for HTN and high blood sugars. The weighted prevalence of Metabolic syndrome as per NCEP ATPIII criteria was found to be 1.13% (95% CI: 1.08 to 1.17). Only 46.16% existing cases were treated with both anti-diabetes and antihypertensive medication (full treatment), while 34.71% cases were untreated. On adjusted analysis, increasing age, females, higher wealth index, high fat diet, obesity and comorbidities were significantly associated with having DM-HTN comorbidity along with high-waist circumference. More than half of young and middle aged-population in India with DM-HTN-abdominal obesity triad are not initiated on treatment for DM and HTN comorbidities, while a majority of the previously diagnosed cases have uncontrolled blood pressure and poor glycemic control. The poor cascade of care for DM and HTN in these high-risk group of patients may substantially increase their risk for early progression and severity of microvascular and macrovascular complications especially cardiovascular disease.

Neuro-ophthalmic challenges and multi-morbidity in vasculitis among the older adults

INTRODUCTION

Vasculitides are a heterogeneous group of disorders producing inflammation of blood vessels (e.g. arteries or veins). All major vasculitides potentially have ophthalmological symptoms and signs including visual loss. Co-morbidity, multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and geriatric syndromes all play important roles in patient outcomes for these rheumatic conditions in the elderly. This monograph reviews the NCBI PubMed database (Feb 2023) literature on the neuro-ophthalmic and geriatric considerations in vasculitis.

AREAS COVERED

Cogan Syndrome, Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, Giant Cell Arteritis, Polyarteritis Nodosa, Takayasu Arteritis, Vasculitis epidemiology, and neuro-ophthalmological symptoms.

EXPERT OPINION

Geriatric patient care for vasculitis with neuro-ophthalmological manifestations can be complicated by the interplay of multiple co-morbidities, polypharmacy, and specific geriatric syndromes. The valuation and treatment of vasculitis and the complications associated with the disease can negatively impact patient care. Advances in noninvasive imaging and updates in diagnostic criteria have enabled increased identification of patients at earlier stages with less severe disease burden. Novel therapeutic agents can be glucocorticoid sparing and might reduce the adverse effects of chronic steroid use. Holistic care models like the 5 M geriatric care model (mind, mobility, medications, multicomplexity, and matters most) allow patients' needs to be in the forefront with biopsychosocial aspects of a patient being addressed.

Prevalence of compliance with PIMDINAC criteria among elderly people living with HIV and in non-infected outpatients with other chronic diseases

BACKGROUND

There is a high prevalence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy among older people, especially in people living with HIV (PLWH) with an increased life expectancy due to effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). Consequently, there is a higher risk of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM), potential drug-drug interactions (DI), and problems of non-adherence to treatment (NAC) in older PLWH. PIMDINAC criteria (potentially inappropriate medications (PIM), drug-drug interactions (DI), and non-adherence to treatment (NAC)) purport to jointly analyse these problems. The purpose of the study was to compare the prevalence of PIMDINAC criteria among elderly PLWH and non-infected patients with chronic diseases, and to determine whether HIV infection constitutes a predictor of the presence of PIMDINAC criteria, totally or partially.

METHODS

A cross sectional study was conducted between February and June 2020. HIV positive patients aged ≥65 years were compared with a group of patients with chronic conditions attending the outpatient hospital pharmacy service.

RESULTS

The study involved 140 patients: 47 HIV positive and 93 HIV negative, and mean age was 69 versus 73 years, respectively (p=0.062). The prevalence of total PIMDINAC criteria was similar between the groups (12.5 vs 10.8%, p=0.505). In relation to inappropriate medication, no differences were observed between groups (48.9 vs 55.9%, p=0434). Drug-drug interactions were higher in patients with chronic conditions (52.7 vs 25.5%, p=0.002) compared with non-adherence, which was higher in people with HIV (22.6 vs 65.6%, p<0.001). No differences in polypharmacy (≥6 and 11 drugs) rates were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

PIMDINAC criteria were highly prevalent in older PLWH, similar to non-infected patients. HIV infection in older people was associated with a lower risk of drug-drug interactions. However, non-adherence was a risk factor compared with age matched controls. Deprescribing strategies, including a capability-motivation-opportunity pharmaceutical care model based intervention should be implemented in clinical routines.

Medications and cognitive risk in Aboriginal primary care: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are ageing with high rates of comorbidity, yet little is known about suboptimal prescribing in this population.

AIM

The prevalence of potentially suboptimal prescribing and associated risk factors were investigated among older patients attending primary care through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs).

METHODS

Medical records of 420 systematically selected patients aged ≥50 years attending urban, rural and remote health services were audited. Polypharmacy (≥ 5 prescribed medications), potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) as per Beers Criteria and anticholinergic burden (ACB) were estimated and associated risk factors were explored with logistic regression.

RESULTS

The prevalence of polypharmacy, PIMs and ACB score ≥3 was 43%, 18% and 12% respectively. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, polypharmacy was less likely in rural (odds ratio (OR) = 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.24-0.77) compared to urban patients, and more likely in those with heart disease (OR = 2.62, 95% CI = 1.62-4.25), atrial fibrillation (OR = 4.25, 95% CI = 1.08-16.81), hypertension (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.34-3.44), diabetes (OR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.69-4.39) or depression (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.19-3.06). PIMs were more frequent in females (OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.03-3.42) and less frequent in rural (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.19-0.85) and remote (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.29-1.18) patients. Factors associated with PIMs were kidney disease (OR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.37-4.92), urinary incontinence (OR = 3.00, 95% CI = 1.02-8.83), depression (OR = 2.67, 95% CI = 1.50-4.77), heavy alcohol use (OR = 2.83, 95% CI = 1.39-5.75) and subjective cognitive concerns (OR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.31-5.52). High ACB was less common in rural (OR = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.03-0.34) and remote (OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.25-1.04) patients and more common in those with kidney disease (OR = 3.07, 95% CI = 1.50-6.30) or depression (OR = 3.32, 95% CI = 1.70-6.47).

CONCLUSION

Associations between potentially suboptimal prescribing and depression or cognitive concerns highlight the importance of considering medication review and deprescribing for these patients.