70% of nursing home patients on wrong drugs

SEVEN out of 10 older people in nursing homes in Ireland are taking at least one inappropriately prescribed medicine, with almost one in five taking three or four unsuitable drugs, a study reveals.

For older people adverse drug reactions can leave them at a greater risk of falls and fractures, leading to extended hospitalisation.

Benzodiazepines, a sedative to reduce anxiety or stress, was the main drug inappropriately prescribed.

The study, funded by the Centre of Ageing Research and Development in Ireland, looked at the medication taken by 630 older people in long-term care in the North and Cork. It found that patients in both locations were receiving around 11 medicines each, with about half prescribed eight to 14 medicines.

Half of the 315 patients in the Republic were prescribed between nine and 14 medicines. One was prescribed 25.

Age Action Ireland described the report as “disturbing” and urged Health Minister James Reilly to ensure the issue is addressed urgently.

A total of 3,730 medicines were prescribed for the patients in the Republic and 3,394 for those in the North. The cost of the inappropriate medicines worked out at about €356 per older person in the Republic and €170 over the Border.

Nearly half the medications prescribed in the North were generic, compared with less than 30% here.

Dr Stephen Byrne, a lecturer in clinical pharmacy at UCC who led the study, said it highlighted the need for regular medicine reviews. He said such a review should take place at least once a year.

The Health Information and Quality Authority’s standards for residential homes for older people include one which states each resident on long-term medication is reviewed by their his/her GP ever three months, along with nursing staff and the pharmacist.

Dr Byrne said that, as yet, there was no formal protocol on what that review should consist of.