title: Drug utilisation in Dutch nursing homes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantify and evaluate drug utilisation in a sample of Dutch nursing homes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of computerised medication data of 2355 residents aged 65 years and over from six nursing homes in the Netherlands was performed. For each therapeutic drug group, the number of users was determined. The ten therapeutic groups used most frequently were investigated further. For these, patient characteristics, use of therapeutic subgroups, the average daily dosages and the chronicity of drug use were determined. Chronicity was expressed as the percentage of treatment days divided by the number of residents' days in the nursing home.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study period, 89%, 77% and 56% of the study population used a drug from the anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) main group N (nervous system), A (alimentary tract and metabolism) and C (cardiovascular system), respectively. Eight of the ten therapeutic drug groups prescribed most frequently were used for more than 50% of the time. In particular, psycholeptic drugs, diuretics and laxatives were used chronically (83%, 81%, and 80% of the nursing home stay, respectively). Except for a few drug groups, such as laxatives and diuretics, the prescribed daily dosages were relatively low. Twenty-eight percent of the residents received loop diuretics; these were prescribed in relatively high dosages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Drug utilisation in the nursing homes was high and many drugs were used chronically. In view of the risk of possible adverse effects and drug-drug interactions, the prescribing and dosage of psycholeptic drugs, laxatives, loop diuretics and ulcer-healing drugs should be re-evaluated, carefully.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Pharmacy and Pharmacoepidemiology, University Centre for Pharmacy, Groningen Institute for Drug Studies (GIDS), A. Deusinglaan 2, 9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Brouwers
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: de Jong-van den Berg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002400:Cathartics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D009426:Netherlands; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D002400:Cathartics; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs