Abstract
Background: Poor medication management may negatively impact the health and functional capacity of older adults. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify medication-related risk factors in home-dwelling residents using a validated self-assessment as part of comprehensive health screening. Methods: The data were derived from comprehensive health screening (PORI75) for older adults of 75 years living in Western Finland in 2020 and 2021. One of 30 validated measures in health screening focused on identifying medication-related risk factors (LOTTA Checklist). The Checklist items were divided into (1) systemic risk factors (10 items) and (2) potentially drug-induced symptoms (10 items). Polypharmacy was categorized according to the number of used drugs: (1) no polypharmacy (<5 drugs), (2) polypharmacy (≥5 and <10), and (3) excessive polypharmacy (≥10). The linearity across these three polypharmacy groups was evaluated using the Cochran–Armitage test. Results: Altogether, 1024 out of 1094 residents who participated in the health screening consented to this study (n = 569 in 2020 and n = 459 in 2021). The mean number of all drugs in use was 7.0 (range 0−26; SD 4.1), with 71% of the residents using >5 drugs, that is, having polypharmacy. Of the systemic risk factors most common was that the resident had more than one physician responsible for the treatment (48% of the residents), followed by missing drug list (43%), missing regular monitoring (35%), and unclear durations of the medication (35%). The most experienced potentially drug-induced symptoms were self-reported constipation (21%), urinating problems (20%), and unusual tiredness (17%). An increasing number of drugs in use, particularly excessive polypharmacy, was associated with various medication-related risk factors. Conclusion: As a part of comprehensive health screening the LOTTA Checklist provides useful information to prevent medication-related risk factors in home-dwelling older adults. The Checklist could be used to guide planning and implementing health services in the future.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e1196 |
| Journal | Health Science Reports |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2023 |
| Publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Funding
We thank all residents for taking the time to participate in health screening and our study. We also thank the Social Security Center of Pori for enabling comprehensive health screening for older adults. We would like to thank Minna Rajala and Nina Karttunen, Social Security Center of Pori, for their valuable contribution to this study. This project/study was supported by Data Lake Innovation Testbed for Future Hospital, 1/2021 onwards, Ministry of Education and Culture Finland, and the Future Hospital Innovation Platform, The Regional Council of Satakunta, ERDF, 1/2019 on. No other funding from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not‐for‐profit sectors was received. Open‐access publishing was funded by the University of Helsinki, Finland. The institutions listed had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Keywords
- health screening
- home-dwelling
- medication-related risks
- older adults
Publication forum classification
- Publication forum level 1
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
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