PHASE-20: Ett nytt instrument för skattning av möjliga läkemedelsrelaterade symtom hos äldre personer i äldreboende

Beskriver utvikling og testing av et instrument for å avdekke og måle symptomer som kan være relatert til legemiddelbruk hos eldre.Background. Elderly persons may easily develop adverse drug effects. In Sweden, at least seven untested instruments are used for assessing possible drug-related symptoms in elderly people. Aim. The aim was to develop a more valid and reliable instrument for identification of possible therapeutic drug-related symptoms. Methods. The seven pre-existing instruments consisted of 39 symptoms, which were coordinated and then analyzed for content validity. After revision, the instrument included 19 symptoms or symptom-groups and one open variable. To assess the construct validity and reliability, the new instrument, PHASE-20, was tested in a randomized controlled trial with elderly persons living in two nursing homes before and after evaluation and correction of their therapeutic drugs. Results. PHASE-20 was found to possess an acceptable consistency, test-retest reliability, and internal validity. Construct validity was not supported in this study, as there were no significant differences between groups after the intervention. Therapeutic drug-related symptoms among elderly might be too heterogeneous to be captured into a screening instrument. However, PHASE-20 was welcomed by both patients and staff as a well structured, easily understandable, and useful assessment instrument. Conclusion. PHASE-20 can be used for identifying possible drug-related symptoms among elderly who are able to cooperate at least partly