Dataset Information

Fall risk-increasing drugs and falls: a cross-sectional study among elderly patients in primary care.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Falls are the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions in the elderly. The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare has created a list of drugs considered to increase the fall risk (FRIDs) and drugs that might cause/worsen orthostatism (ODs). This cross-sectional study was aimed to assess FRIDs and their correlation with falls in a sample of 369 community-dwelling and nursing home patients aged ?75 years and who were using a multi-dose drug dispensing system.

Methods

Data were collected from the patients' electronic medication lists. Retrospective data on reported falls during the previous three months and severe falls during the previous 12 months were collected. Primary outcome measures were incidence of falls as well as numbers of FRIDs and ODs in fallers and non-fallers.

Results

The studied sample had a high incidence of both reported falls (29%) and severe falls (17%). Patients were dispensed a mean of 2.2 (SD 1.5) FRIDs and 2.0 (SD 1.6) ODs. Fallers used on average more FRIDs. Severe falls were more common in nursing homes patients. More women than men experienced severe falls. There were positive associations between number of FRIDs and the total number of drugs (p < 0.01), severe falls (p < 0.01) and female sex (p = 0.03). There were also associations between number of ODs and both total number of drugs (p < 0.01) and being community dwelling (p = 0.02). No association was found between number of ODs and severe falls. Antidepressants and anxiolytics were the most frequently dispensed FRIDs.

Conclusions

Fallers had a higher number of FRIDs. Numbers of FRIDs and ODs were correlated with the total number of drugs dispensed. Interventions to reduce falls in the elderly by focusing on reducing the total number of drugs and withdrawal of psychotropic medications might improve the quality and safety of drug treatment in primary care.

SUBMITTER: Milos V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3986685 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Fall risk-increasing drugs and falls: a cross-sectional study among elderly patients in primary care.

Milos Veronica V Bondesson Åsa Å Magnusson Martina M Jakobsson Ulf U Westerlund Tommy T Midlöv Patrik P

BMC geriatrics 20140327

<h4>Background</h4>Falls are the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions in the elderly. The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare has created a list of drugs considered to increase the fall risk (FRIDs) and drugs that might cause/worsen orthostatism (ODs). This cross-sectional study was aimed to assess FRIDs and their correlation with falls in a sample of 369 community-dwelling and nursing home patients aged ≥75 years and who were using a multi-dose drug dispensing system.< ...[more]

PMID: 24674152

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Project description:Background and objectivesMedication exposure is a potential risk factor for falls and subsequent death and functional decline among older adults. However, controversy remains on the best way to assess medication exposure and which approach best predicts falls. The objective of the current study was to examine the association between different measures of medication exposure and falls risk among community-dwelling older adults.Research design and methodsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted using Falls Free PA program data and a linked prescription claims data from Pennsylvania's Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly program. Participants were community-dwelling older adults living in Pennsylvania, United States. Three measures of medication exposure were assessed: (a) total number of regular medications (polypharmacy); (b) counts of potentially inappropriate medications derived from current prescription guidance tools (Fall Risk-Increasing Drugs [FRIDs], Beers Criteria); and (c) medication burden indices based on pharmacologic mechanisms (Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden, Drug Burden Index) all derived from claims data. The associations between the different medication risk measures and self-reported falls incidence were examined with univariate and multivariable negative binomial regression models to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs).ResultsOverall 343 older adults were included and there were 236 months with falls during 2,316 activity-adjusted person-months (10.2 falls per 100 activity-adjusted person-months). Of the 6 measures of medication risk assessed in multivariate models, only the use of 2 or more FRIDs (adjusted IRR 1.67 [95% CI: 1.04-2.68]) independently predicted falls risk. Among the 13 FRID drug classes, the only FRID class associated with an increased fall risk was antidepressants.Discussion and implicationsThe presence of multiple FRIDs in a prescription is an independent risk factor for falls, even in older adults with few medications. Further investigation is required to examine whether deprescribing focused on FRIDs effectively prevents falls among this population.

Project description:ObjectivesPrevention of falls and fall-related injuries is a priority due to the substantial health and financial burden of falls on patients and healthcare systems. Deprescribing medications known as 'fall-risk increasing drugs' (FRIDs) is a common strategy to prevent falls. We conducted a systematic review to determine its efficacy for the prevention of falls and fall-related complications.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesMEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL and grey literature from inception to 1 August 2020.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesRandomised controlled trials of FRID withdrawal compared with usual care evaluating the rate of falls, incidence of falls, fall-related injuries, fall-related fractures, fall-related hospitalisations or adverse effects related to the intervention in adults aged ≥65 years.Data extraction and synthesisTwo reviewers independently performed citation screening, data abstraction, risk of bias assessment and certainty of evidence grading. Random-effects models were used for meta-analyses.ResultsFive trials involving 1305 participants met eligibility criteria. Deprescribing FRIDs did not change the rate of falls (rate ratio (RaR) 0.98, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.51), the incidence of falls (risk difference 0.01, 95% CI -0.06 to 0.09; relative risk 1.04, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.26) or rate of fall-related injuries (RaR 0.89, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.39) over a follow-up period of 6-12 months. No trials evaluated the impact of deprescribing FRIDs on fall-related fractures or hospitalisations.ConclusionThere is a paucity of robust high-quality evidence to support or refute that a FRID deprescribing strategy alone is effective at preventing falls or fall-related injury in older adults. Although there may be other reasons to deprescribe FRIDs, our systematic review found that it may result in little to no difference in the rate or risk of falls as a sole falls reduction strategy.Prospero registration numberCRD42016040203.

Project description:OBJECTIVES:To examine: (1) prevalence of fall risk-increasing drug (FRID) use among older adults with a fall-related injury, (2) which FRIDs were most frequently prescribed, (3) whether FRID use was reduced following the fall-related healthcare episode, and (4) which interventions have reduced falls or FRID use in older adults with a history of falls. DESIGN:Systematic review. PARTICIPANTS:Observational and intervention studies that assessed (or intervened on) FRID use in participants aged 60?years or older who had experienced a fall. MEASUREMENTS:PubMed and EMBASE were searched through June 30, 2019. Two reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated studies for bias. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. RESULTS:Fourteen of 638 articles met selection criteria: 10 observational studies and 4 intervention studies. FRID use prevalence at time of fall-related injury ranged from 65% to 93%. Antidepressants and sedatives-hypnotics were the most commonly prescribed FRIDs. Of the 10 observational studies, only 2 used a design adequate to capture changes in FRID use after a fall-related injury, neither finding a reduction in FRID use. Three randomized controlled studies conducted in various settings (hospital, emergency department, and community pharmacy) with 12-month follow-up did not find a reduction in falls with interventions to reduce FRID use, although the study conducted in the community pharmacy setting was effective in reducing FRID use. In a nonrandomized (pre-post) intervention study conducted in an outpatient geriatrics clinic, falls were reduced in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS:Limited evidence indicates high prevalence of FRID use among older adults who have experienced a fall-related injury and no reduction in overall FRID use following the fall-related healthcare encounter. There is a need for well-designed interventions to reduce FRID use and falls in older adults with a history of falls. Reducing FRID use as a stand-alone intervention may not be effective in reducing recurrent falls. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1334-1343, 2020.

Project description:BackgroundAlthough there has been a range of studies that focused on physical frailty and associated fall outcomes within developed countries, similar studies from developing countries have been limited. This study aimed to examine the relationship between physical frailty and the prevalence of falls, multiple falls and fall-related injuries among the ageing population within the Indian context.MethodsIndividual-level data from the first wave of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) with 28,285 older adults aged 60 years and above (male 48.9%) was used for this study. Physical frailty was assessed through the physical frailty phenotype adapted from Fried's criteria. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to examine the association of frailty status with falls, multiple falls, and fall-related injuries among Indian older adults.ResultsThe prevalence of frailty was found to be 29.94% within the sample and frail older adults had a higher prevalence of falls (15.43% vs 11.85%), multiple falls (7.73% vs 5.25%), and fall related injuries (6.68% vs 5.29%). The odds of falling among frail older adults were significantly higher in reference to the odds of falling among non-frail older adults [aOR: 1.24; CI: 1.09-1.41]. Similarly, the odds of multiple falls among frail older adults were significantly higher in reference to the odds of multiple falls among non-frail older adults [aOR: 1.24; CI: 1.05-1.48]. Moreover, the odds of fall-related injury among frail older adults were significantly higher in reference to the odds of fall-related injury among non-frail older adults [aOR: 1.21; CI: 1.01-1.45]. Falls, multiple falls and fall-related injuries were found to be significantly associated with employment and poor self-rated health, whereas, females and lone living older adults had a significantly higher likelihood of suffering from falls and multiple falls.ConclusionOlder individuals with physical frailty were found to be at increased risk of falls, multiple falls and fall-related injuries in India. The findings of our study also have important clinical implications in the measures undertaken to reduce falls and enable future healthcare practitioners and policymakers to factor in the key determinant of physical frailty.

Project description:BackgroundOlder adults hospitalized for heart failure (HF) are at risk for falls after discharge. One modifiable contributor to falls is fall risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs). However, the prevalence of FRIDs among older adults hospitalized for HF is unknown. We describe patterns of FRIDs use and examine predictors of a high FRID burden.MethodsWe used the national biracial REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a prospective cohort recruited from 2003-2007. We included REGARDS participants aged ≥ 65 years discharged alive after a HF hospitalization from 2003-2017. We determined FRIDs -cardiovascular (CV) and non-cardiovascular (non-CV) medications - at admission and discharge from chart abstraction of HF hospitalizations. We examined the predictors of a high FRID burden at discharge via modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors.ResultsAmong 1147 participants (46.5% women, mean age 77.6 years) hospitalized at 676 hospitals, 94% were taking at least 1 FRID at admission and 99% were prescribed at least 1 FRID at discharge. The prevalence of CV FRIDs was 92% at admission and 98% at discharge, and the prevalence of non-CV FRIDs was 32% at admission and discharge. The most common CV FRID at admission (88%) and discharge (93%) were antihypertensives; the most common agents were beta blockers (61% at admission, 75% at discharge), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (36% vs. 42%), and calcium channel blockers (32% vs. 28%). Loop diuretics had the greatest change in prevalence (53% vs. 72%). More than half of the cohort (54%) had a high FRID burden (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) score ≥ 6), indicating high falls risk after discharge. In a multivariable Poisson regression analysis, the factors strongly associated with a high FRID burden at discharge included hypertension (PR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.65), mood disorder (PR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.38), and hyperpolypharmacy (PR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.64, 2.14).ConclusionsFRID use was nearly universal among older adults hospitalized for HF; more than half had a high FRID burden at discharge. Further work is needed to guide the management of a common clinical conundrum whereby guideline indications for treating HF may contribute to an increased risk for falls.

Dataset Information

Fall risk-increasing drugs and falls: a cross-sectional study among elderly patients in primary care.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Fall risk-increasing drugs and falls: a cross-sectional study among elderly patients in primary care.

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