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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Audits of medication use in Sydney nursing homes | | Author(s) | John Snowdon, Susan Day, Wesley Baker |
| Journal title | Age and Ageing, vol 35, no 4, July 2006 |
| Pages | pp 403-408 |
| Source | http://www.ageing.oxfordjournals.org |
| Keywords | Drugs ; Usage [services] ; Nursing homes ; Longitudinal surveys ; Australia. |
| Annotation | Most nursing home residents take several different medications. Reports have shown considerable variation in the frequency and types of prescriptions between nursing homes and between countries. The present study compared patterns of medication use in Sydney nursing homes in 1993, 1998 and 2003, using data from medication cards and clinical files of all 3054 residents of 50 nursing homes in the Central Sydney Health Area. The mean number of medications prescribed per resident in 2003 was 6.84, while the mean number consumed regularly (rather than "as necessary") was 5.42. These numbers were higher than 5 and 10 years previously, though there had been reductions in use of diuretics, anticonvulsants, hypnotics and anxiolytics. There had been increased prescription of antidepressants, anti-diabetes drugs, calcium and (among women) thyroid hormones. Prescription rates for laxatives, cardiovascular medication and analgesics remained high. These changes in the pattern of medication prescription may be attributable to improved education of clinicians and nursing home staff, involvement of pharmacists, and altered or increased prevalence of medical and mental disorders in nursing homes. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-060825206 A |
| Classmark | LLD: QLD: LHB: 3J: 7YA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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