title: [Polypharmacy is an indicator for a poor prognosis, which is not altered by deprescribing in nursing home].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the influence of polypharmacy ordered by the pretreating site and deprescribing (i.e. the appropriate withdrawal of prescribed drugs) by the nursing home physician on survival time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective Analysis of medical databasis from 1,249 patients, thereof 611 in a nursing home with practice of deprescribing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  70% of the patients with excessive polypharmacy (>9 drugs), 57% of those with polypharmacy (6 to 9 drugs) and 43% of the remaining patients (<6 drugs) deceased within 286 days after admission (chi-squared 2 DF = 43.72; p <0.001). Deprescribing by the nursing home physician at admission revealed no influence on survival time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Polypharmacy is not the reason, but an indicator for a poor prognosis, which is not altered by deprescribing.
authors.affiliation: Geriatrischer Dienst, Stadtärztlicher Dienst Zürich.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schönenberger
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rauber
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wettstein
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Schönenberger
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D019338:Polypharmacy; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013534:Survival