Relationship of in-hospital medication modifications of elderly patients to postdischarge medications, adherence, and mortality.
BACKGROUND
Medication regimens are constantly modified and updated during a patient's hospitalization. These modifications and those made after discharge might increase the risk for nonadherence, polypharmacy, and poor outcomes among elderly patients.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the extent of in-hospital modification of medication regimens of elderly patients and its relationship to medication adherence as well as one-month postdischarge drug regimen modifications and to examine the relationship of the modifications, adherence, and polypharmacy to mortality and readmissions 3 months postdischarge.


METHODS
Clinical and demographic data, postdischarge medication modifications, and adherence were prospectively obtained in 212 elderly patients. Inhospital drug regimen modifications were retrospectively recorded.


RESULTS
The average +/- SD in-hospital medication regimen modification rate was 49.8% +/- 28.4. No modifications were found in 9.7% of the patients. Using demographic and clinical parameters, we performed regression analysis and found that patients who were admitted with polypharmacy, discharged home, and cognitively normal experienced fewer medication modifications (p < 0.05). At one month postdischarge, the average medication regimen modification rate was 37.5% +/- 25.4. In- and posthospital modifications were directly correlated (p = 0.047). Three months postdischarge, 17 patients had died and 50 had been readmitted. The independent risk factors for mortality were in-hospital modification rate of 50% or greater (OR 6.4; 95% CI 1.3 to 29.7), impaired cognition (OR 4.2; 95% CI 1.4 to 12.3), and each chronic disease (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1 to 1.5). No relationships were found between in-hospital medication regimen modifications and readmissions or with postdischarge modifications, adherence, and polypharmacy to mortality and readmissions.


CONCLUSIONS
Hospitalization of elderly patients is characterized by extensive medication regimen modifications, which are directly correlated with postdischarge modifications and may indicate an increased risk of mortality.
Mansur
Nariman
N
Department of Geriatrics, Pharmacy Services, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Petach Tikvah, Israel.
Weiss
Avraham
A
Beloosesky
Yichayaou
Y
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019338:Polypharmacy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations