Associations between polypharmacy and treatment intensity for hypertension and diabetes: a cross-sectional study of nursing home patients in British Columbia, Canada.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Describe nursing home polypharmacy prevalence in the context of prescribing for diabetes and hypertension and determine possible associations between lower surrogate markers for treated hypertension and diabetes (overtreatment) and polypharmacy.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

6 nursing homes in British Columbia, Canada.

Participants

214 patients residing in one of the selected facilities during data collection period.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Polypharmacy was defined as ≥9 regular medications. Overtreatment of diabetes was defined as being prescribed at least one hypoglycaemic medication and a glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ≤7.5%. Overtreatment of hypertension required being prescribed at least one hypertension medicatio

SUBMITTER: McCracken R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5724061 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature