| dc.description.abstract | Background: With the increase in life expectancy also increased the number of diseases and the consumption of drugs. Older adults represent the most vulnerable group because of the various comorbidities and physiological changes that in itself leads to aging
Overall Objective: Determine the prevalence and factors associated with polypharmacy in older adults, Vicente Corral Moscoso Hospital, Clinic 2016 area.
Materials and Methods: Observational, cross-sectional study included 215 patients from the Clinic area of Vicente Corral Moscoso Hospital. Information was collected through a form on factors associated with polypharmacy and application of the Scale for Geriatric Abridged Depression. We included variables such as: number of physicians visited, number of chronic diseases, depression, coexistence, number of drugs and family medications before and during hospitalization. The data were tabulated in the Microsoft Excel program and the SPSS software. Descriptive analysis was performed for the variables studied and association measures were used using double entry tables. (OR, confidence interval and p value).
Results: The prevalence of polypharmacy at the hospital level was 78.6% and 37.7% outpatient. The average number of drugs consumed in the hospital was 6.49. In addition, being a female, residing in urban areas, the number of doctors visited, the number of chronic diseases and depression are associated with a higher prevalence of polypharmacy. The most commonly used drugs were antihypertensive agents, hypoglycemic agents, vitamins and diuretics, while during hospitalization antibiotics were the drugs of greatest demand.
Conclusions: The prevalence of polypharmacy in the elderly has increased in our environment as well as the average number of drugs consumed per patient. It has been associated to several factors including: the female sex, the residence, the number of chronic diseases, the number of doctors visited and the depressive state | |
