title: Medication regimen complexity in institutionalized elderly people in an aging society.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Complex medication regimens may adversely affect compliance and treatment outcomes. Complexity can be assessed with the medication regimen complexity index (MRCI), which has proved to be a valid, reliable tool, with potential uses in both practice and research.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To use the MRCI to assess medication regimen complexity in institutionalized elderly people.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five nursing homes in mainland Portugal.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive, cross-sectional study of institutionalized elderly people (n = 415) was performed from March to June 2009, including all inpatients aged 65 and over taking at least one medication per day.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medication regimen complexity index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the sample was 83.9 years (±6.6 years), and 60.2 % were women. The elderly patients were taking a large number of drugs, with 76.6 % taking more than five medications per day. The average medication regimen complexity was 18.2 (±SD = 9.6), and was higher in the females (p < 0.001). The most decisive factors contributing to the complexity were the number of drugs and dosage frequency. In regimens with the same number of medications, schedule was the most relevant factor in the final score (r = 0.922), followed by pharmaceutical forms (r = 0.768) and additional instructions (r = 0.742).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medication regimen complexity proved to be high. There is certainly potential for the pharmacist's intervention to reduce it as part as the medication review routine in all the patients.
authors.affiliation: iMed.UL - Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento, Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon, Avenida Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003, Lisbon, Portugal, ana.advinha@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ana Margarida
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Advinha
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Oliveira-Martins
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mateus
authors.forename: Sara Grou
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Pajote
authors.forename: Manuel José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lopes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D059065:Medication Reconciliation; D009735:Nursing Homes; D019338:Polypharmacy; D011174:Portugal; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs