title: Factors associated with polypharmacy in nursing home residents.
abstract: The prevalence of polypharmacy is very high in the nursing home setting. In this comprehensive review, we describe the many demographic, functional status, chronic disease, and healthcare financing factors associated with polypharmacy in nursing home patients. Recognition of the factors associated with polypharmacy is the first step for practitioners. A quality improvement intervention study previously conducted by the authors of this paper demonstrated that polypharmacy can be reduced in the nursing setting as a result of systematic review of medications by physicians.
authors.affiliation: The John A. Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatrics, Department of Geriatric Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96817, USA. bktamura@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Bruce K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Christina L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inaba
authors.forename: Kamal H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Masaki
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019338:Polypharmacy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations