Factors influencing psychotropic prescription by non-psychiatrist physicians in a nursing home for the elderly in Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
Although psychotropics are one of the classes of medications most prescribed in nursing homes for the elderly, studies examining prescribing patterns are limited in both number and scope. The present study was undertaken to investigate factors associated with general psychotropic use in a nursing home in Brazil.


METHODS
Retrospective observational study at the Nursing Home for the Elderly, Institute of Biosciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista.


METHODS
Information on prescriptions was retrieved from the medical records of 108 elderly residents in a nursing home. Sixty-five of these patients, with mean age 74.5 years (+/-standard deviation 9.4 years), who were taking medications on a regular basis, comprised the sample. The effects of demographic and clinical variables on the psychotropic prescription pattern were examined.


RESULTS
Females were more likely to receive psychotropics (p = 0.038). Individuals on medicines for cardiovascular diseases received psychotropics less frequently (p = 0.001). The number of prescribed psychotropics correlated negatively with both age (p = 0.009) and number of non-psychotropic drugs (p = 0.009).


CONCLUSIONS
Although preliminary, the present results indicated that cardiovascular disease was the clinical variable that most influenced psychotropic prescription. Physicians' overconcern regarding drug interactions might at least partially explain this result. Further investigations involving larger sample sizes from different regions are warranted to confirm these findings.
Stella
Florindo
F
Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, CEP 13506-4246, Brazil. fstella@rc.unesp.br
Caetano
Dorgival
D
Pacheco
Jaime Lisandro
JL
Sé
Elisandra Villela Gasparetto
EV
Lacerda
Acioly Luiz Tavares
AL
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000451:nursing; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors
D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs