Dispensed drugs and multiple medications in the Swedish population: an individual-based register study

BACKGROUND Multiple medications is a well-known potential risk factor in terms of patient's health. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of dispensed drugs and multiple medications in an entire national population, by using individual based data on dispensed drugs. METHODS Analyses of all dispensed out-patient prescriptions in 2006 from the Swedish prescribed drug register. As a cut-off for multiple medications, we applied five or more different drugs dispensed (DP >or= 5) at Swedish pharmacies for a single individual during a 3-month, a 6-month, and a 12-month study period. For comparison, results were also calculated with certain drug groups excluded. RESULTS 6.2 million individuals received at least one dispensed drug (DP >or= 1) during 12 months in 2006 corresponding to a prevalence of 67.4%; 75.6% for females and 59.3% for males. Individuals received on average 4.7 dispensed drugs per individual (median 3, Q1-Q3 2-6); females 5.0 (median 3, Q1-Q3 2-7), males 4.3 (median 3, Q1-Q3 1-6).The prevalence of multiple medications (DP >or= 5) was 24.4% for the entire population. The prevalence increased with age. For elderly 70-79, 80-89, and 90-years, the prevalence of DP >or= 5 was 62.4, 75.1, and 77.7% in the respective age groups. 82.8% of all individuals with DP >or= 1 and 64.9% of all individuals with DP >or= 5 were < 70 years. Multiple medications was more frequent for females (29.6%) than for males (19.2%). For individuals 10 to 39 years, DP >or= 5 was twice as common among females compared to males. Sex hormones and modulators of the genital system excluded, reduced the relative risk (RR) for females vs. males for DP >or= 5 from 1.5 to 1.4. The prevalence of DP >or= 1 increased from 45.1 to 56.2 and 67.4%, respectively, when the study period was 3, 6, and 12 respectively months and the corresponding prevalence of DP >or= 5 was 11.3, 17.2, and 24.4% respectively. CONCLUSION The prevalence of dispensed drugs and multiple medications were extensive in all age groups and were higher for females than for males. Multiple medications should be regarded as a risk in terms of potential drug-drug interactions and adverse drug reactions in all age groups

On drug use, multiple medication and polypharmacy in a national population

The application of multiple medications has successively increased during a number of years and has thereby increased the potential risks of adverse drug reactions, interactions and non-adherence to drug therapy. This may result in unnecessary health expenditure, directly due to redundant drug sales, and indirectly due to the increased hospitalization caused by drug-related problems. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the occurrence and development of drug use, multiple medication, and polypharmacy in an entire national population by using individual-based data on dispensed drugs. The studies (I-V) in the thesis are based on data of dispensed prescription drugs for up to 6.2 million individuals obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. The data in the studies cover different periods of time between July 2005-Sept 2008, and the data have been analyzed on the basis of epidemiological measures and statistical methods. The major conclusions of the studies are: the prevalence of dispensed drugs and multiple medications was extensive in all age groups and was higher for females than for males. Multiple medications should be regarded as a risk in terms of potential drug-drug interactions and adverse drug reactions in all age groups (I). Regional differences in the prevalence of polypharmacy were observed and partly explained by the regional age distribution in Sweden. The use of a novel weighted polypharmacy index indicated regional differences in drug therapy for individuals with polypharmacy (II). The number of drugs used by an individual not only increased the potential risks associated with multiple drug use, but also the potential burden of an increased therapeutic intensity, especially for elderly (III). Individuals with ten or more drugs accounted for almost fifty percent of the total acquisition costs of dispensed drugs. Therefore, interventions with a focus on the reduction of the number of prescription drugs for the small group of patients with a large number of different drugs may also result in a substantial reduction in the total drug costs (IV). In spite of national and regional efforts to reduce polypharmacy, the prevalence of polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy and the mean number of drugs per individual continued to increase in Sweden 2005-2008 (V). The observed year-by-year increase in polypharmacy underlines the importance of monitoring the development of drug use in all ages. Individual-based registers studies of dispensed drugs provide high quality data and could serve as the basis for further research and also in terms of training health care personnel. It can also be used as a base for interventions and the evaluation of drug use. To enable better comparisons on drug use and its consequences, there is a need for standards concerning measurements, classification and criteria which encompass all types of medications. For clinicians, there is a need for information concerning the patient’s actual use of all different types of medications

Pilotstudie - webbutbildningen : Läkemedelsbehandling av äldre för AT-läkare

Socialstyrelsen har under 2014 tagit fram en webbutbildning för att förbättra AT-läkares kompetens inom området läkemedelsbehandling av äldre. I juni 2014 uppdrog Socialstyrelsen åt eHälsoinstitutet att under hösten 2014 genomföra en utvärdering huruvida webbutbildningen stärker AT-läkarnas kompetens inom området. Utvärderingen genomfördes som en kontrollerad studie, där studiepopulationen (AT-läkare som tidigare inte hade genomgått webbutbildningen) delades in i två grupper; en interventionsgrupp och en kontrollgrupp. Båda grupperna besvarade en webbenkät som bestod av bakgrundsfrågor och 20 kunskapsfrågor som hämtats från webbutbildningens kunskapstest inom modulerna allmänmedicin och internmedicin. Kunskapsfrågorna var både flersvarsfrågor och ensvarsfrågor. För att få rätt på flervalsfrågorna krävdes att alla rätta alternativ var ifyllda. Totalt besvarade 90 AT-läkare enkäten, 67 i kontrollgruppen och 23 i interventionsgruppen (svarsfrekvens 16%). I genomsnitt fick svarande i interventionsgruppen 9,5 rätt svar och svarande i kontrollgruppen 7,7 rätt svar. Frågorna skiljer sig i svårighetsgrad utifrån antal rätta svar och sex frågor särskilde sig genom att visa på mer markanta skillnader i resultat mellan grupperna. Utvärderingen visar att den valda utvärderingsmetoden och genomförandet fungerar och ger trots en relativt låg svarsfrekvens resultatet att de AT-läkare som genomgått webbutbildningen får ett bättre resultat i kunskapstestet än de som inte genomgått utbildningen. En framtida utvärdering som görs efter det att webbutbildningen integrerats in i AT-läkarnas ordinarie utbildning, antas kunna säkra en hög svarsfrekvens och då ge statistiskt signifikanta resultat.Pilotstudie - Webbutbildning läkemedelsbehandling av äldre för AT-läkar

Pilotstudie - webbutbildningen : Läkemedelsbehandling av äldre för AT-läkare

Socialstyrelsen har under 2014 tagit fram en webbutbildning för att förbättra AT-läkares kompetens inom området läkemedelsbehandling av äldre. I juni 2014 uppdrog Socialstyrelsen åt eHälsoinstitutet att under hösten 2014 genomföra en utvärdering huruvida webbutbildningen stärker AT-läkarnas kompetens inom området. Utvärderingen genomfördes som en kontrollerad studie, där studiepopulationen (AT-läkare som tidigare inte hade genomgått webbutbildningen) delades in i två grupper; en interventionsgrupp och en kontrollgrupp. Båda grupperna besvarade en webbenkät som bestod av bakgrundsfrågor och 20 kunskapsfrågor som hämtats från webbutbildningens kunskapstest inom modulerna allmänmedicin och internmedicin. Kunskapsfrågorna var både flersvarsfrågor och ensvarsfrågor. För att få rätt på flervalsfrågorna krävdes att alla rätta alternativ var ifyllda. Totalt besvarade 90 AT-läkare enkäten, 67 i kontrollgruppen och 23 i interventionsgruppen (svarsfrekvens 16%). I genomsnitt fick svarande i interventionsgruppen 9,5 rätt svar och svarande i kontrollgruppen 7,7 rätt svar. Frågorna skiljer sig i svårighetsgrad utifrån antal rätta svar och sex frågor särskilde sig genom att visa på mer markanta skillnader i resultat mellan grupperna. Utvärderingen visar att den valda utvärderingsmetoden och genomförandet fungerar och ger trots en relativt låg svarsfrekvens resultatet att de AT-läkare som genomgått webbutbildningen får ett bättre resultat i kunskapstestet än de som inte genomgått utbildningen. En framtida utvärdering som görs efter det att webbutbildningen integrerats in i AT-läkarnas ordinarie utbildning, antas kunna säkra en hög svarsfrekvens och då ge statistiskt signifikanta resultat.Pilotstudie - Webbutbildning läkemedelsbehandling av äldre för AT-läkar

Barn som anhöriga : ekonomisk studie av samhällets långsiktiga kostnader

Att barn och unga lever i hem med missbruk och/eller allvarlig sjukdom medför direkta och indirekta kostnader för samhället på kort och lång sikt. Denna hälsoekonomiska studie är en beräkning av samhällets årliga kostnad för den andel av befolkningen som vuxit upp som barn som anhörig till förälder med psykisk sjukdom eller missbruk av alkohol eller narkotika

Acquisition cost of dispensed drugs in individuals with multiple medications A register-based study in Sweden

Objectives: To analyse the acquisition cost of dispensed prescription drugs for individuals with multiple medications in a national population. Methods: We collected and analysed individual based data regarding the acquisition cost of dispensed prescription drugs for all individuals with five or more dispensed drugs (DP >= 5) in Sweden 2006 (2.2 million). Results: Individuals with DP >= 5 (24.5% of the population) accounted for 78.8% of the total acquisition cost, and individuals with DP >= 10(8.6% of the population) and DP >= 15(3.0% of the population) accounted for 46.3% and 23.2%, respectively. The average acquisition cost per defined daily doses (DDD) generally decreased with increasing age. The highest average cost per ODD was observed for individuals with DP >= 10. The acquisition cost for women with DP >= 5 represented 56.0% of the total acquisition cost. Men with DP >= 5 represented 44.0% of the total acquisition cost. Conclusions: In an entire national population, individuals with multiple medication accounted for four fifths of the total acquisition cost of dispensed drugs. Actions to reduce the number of prescription drugs for the group of patients with a number of different drugs may also result in a substantial reduction of the total acquisition cost. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Trends in Inappropriate Drug Therapy Prescription in the Elderly in Sweden from 2006 to 2013 : Assessment Using National Indicators

Background Medication for elderly patients is often complex and problematic. Several criteria for classifying inappropriate prescribing exist. In 2010, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare published the document "Indicators of appropriate drug therapy in the elderly" as a guideline for improving prescribing for the elderly. Objective The aim of this study was to assess trends in the prescription of inappropriate drug therapy in the elderly in Sweden from 2006 to 2013 using national quality indicators for drug treatment. Methods Individual-based data on dispensed prescription drugs for the entire Swedish population aged >= 65 years during eight 3-month periods from 2006 to 2013 were accumulated. The data were extracted from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Eight drug-specific quality indicators were monitored. Results For the entire population studied (n = 1,828,283 in 2013), six of the eight indicators showed an improvement according to the guidelines; the remaining two indicators (drugs with anticholinergic effects and excessive polypharmacy) remained relatively unchanged. For the subgroup aged 65-74 years, three indicators showed an improvement, four indicators remained relatively unchanged (e.g. propiomazine, and oxazepam) and one showed an undesirable trend (anticholinergic drugs) according to guidelines. For the older group (aged >= 75 years), all indicators except excessive polypharmacy showed improvement. Conclusion According to the quality indicators used, the extent of inappropriate drug therapy in the elderly decreased from 2006 to 2013 in Sweden. Thus, prescribers appear to be more likely to change their prescribing patterns for the elderly than previously assumed