Management of drug use in older patients

Aim of the study. To evaluate the managament of older patients medicines consumption. Objectives. To assess the pecularities of drug use by older patients; to identify the influence of available information of safe medicines consumption on senior patients behaviour; to evaluate the importance of supporting technologies to the management of senior patients medicines consumption. Research methods. Questionnaires for patients and nurses were created by researcher using literature. The study groups consisted of 178 respondents, which were hospitalized in 2nd Kaunas Clinical Hospital Internal Medicine Department since September, 2009, till February , 2010, and 14 general practice nurses, which are working in this department. Statistical data analyse was performed by using statistical analyse programme “SPSS for Windows 15.0“. The distribution of qualitative indicators was calculated in absolute number and percentage. For quantitative indicators an average and standard deviation were calculated. Relations between features were valued by chi square criterion ((χ²). Results. The most frequent conditions of older patients were cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases. Patients for a variety of problems could not use medicines on their own. Side effects of medications were frequent. From side effects more common were: dizziness (33,7 %), palpitations (30,3 %), general weakness (29,2 %), constipation (26,4 %). Aged patients used frequently over-the-counter medications, they purchased medicines not only in pharmacy, but also in market, that increased the risk of unsafe consumption of medicines. Because senior patients had a lot of health problems, the amount of consumed medicines was great – on an average respondents got 11-12 medicines per day, that is increased the danger of drug interactions and side effects. The patients were not keeping the treatment regime (58 %), they consumed medicine in any time when they remembered (19 %); if they forgot to take a medicine, they collected tablettes for home (35 %) or they throw out them (20 %). The most frequent form of medicines usage were forms of drinkable (solid) forms. It was indentified that provided information about medicines determines the management of medicines consumption. Conclusions. The main pecularities of senior patients drug use were polypharmacy, dependence from other persons, frequent side effects. The main difficulties of drug consumption were disinclination to take medicines and forgetfulness to take medicines in time. Senior patients violated the treatment regime often, they consumed medicines without prescriptions, that they purchased by their own not only in pharmacy, but also in market. Only 44,4 % of respondents were satisfied with provided information about medicines. The main information resources were TV and radio (62,9 %) and only for 14,9 % respondents – the staff of health care. 73,6 % of older patients used additional means (plates, cups, boxes for medicines and etc.) to make drug use management easier