Appropriateness of use of medicines in elderly inpatients: qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To explore the processes leading to inappropriate use of medicines for elderly patients admitted for acute care.

Design

Qualitative study with semistructured interviews with doctors, nurses, and pharmacists; focus groups with inpatients; and observation on the ward by clinical pharmacists for one month.

Setting

Five acute wards for care of the elderly in Belgium.

Participants

5 doctors, 4 nurses, and 3 pharmacists from five acute wards for the interviews; all professionals and patients on two acute wards for the observation and 17 patients (from the same two wards) for the focus groups.

Results

Several factors contributed to inappropriate prescribing, counselling, and transfer of information on medicines to primary care. Firstly, review of tre

SUBMITTER: Spinewine A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1261188 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature