| Use of medication by nursing home residents nearing end of life: a preliminary report. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20808079 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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BACKGROUND: Nursing home residents usually suffer from a variety of medical conditions and are prescribed a wider variety of medications than any other subpopulation. Polypharmacy is associated with the occurrence of adverse events. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to describe the medication prescription patterns of residents who died in a nursing home, to examine how this pattern changed as residents progressed toward death, and to identify correlates of increased medication prescriptions. METHODS: Thirty-one residents who had lived at one nursing home for more than 6 months before death were included in the study. Medication records for participants were obtained at four data collection points: on admission, 6 months before death, 3 months before death, and at death. RESULTS: The mean number of medications prescribed immediately before death was 7.90 (SD = 3.27), and there was an upward trend in number of prescriptions written as patients neared death. The most frequent prescription was for medication for constipation, pulmonary care, and hypertension. There was a significant correlation between residents with heart disease and increased medication use. Medication prescribed for pulmonary care and hypertension increased from admission to death, but a decreased use of medication for pain relief in the time before death in these cases was found. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study surveyed and described the pattern of medication use in nursing home residents from admission to the end of life. Results can be used to reinforce clinician and nursing staff awareness of prescription frequency, amounts of medication, and change over time for elderly residents under their care. In addition to safer prescribing practices for the older people, nonpharmacological strategies (e.g., lifestyle modification and physiotherapy for function training) may be used to address common symptoms and complaints during chronic care. |
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Authors:
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I-Chun Chen; May-Lien Liu; Fuh-Chour Twu; Chia-Hei Yuan |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The journal of nursing research : JNR Volume: 18 ISSN: 1948-965X ISO Abbreviation: J Nurs Res Publication Date: 2010 Sep |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-09-02 Completed Date: 2010-12-23 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101128757 Medline TA: J Nurs Res Country: China (Republic : 1949- ) |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 199-205 Citation Subset: IM; N |
Affiliation:
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Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ton-Yen General Hospital, Taiwan. cyc@tmu.edu.tw |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Aged Aged, 80 and over Drug Utilization Review* Female Humans Inpatients* Male Middle Aged Nursing Homes* Terminal Care* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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