Polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions among Greenland's care home residents.

ABSTRACT:

Background

As lifetime expectancy in Greenland is steadily increasing, so is the proportion of elderly Greenlanders. Old age is associated with polypharmacy, and in this study, we aim to describe the prevalence and characteristics of polypharmacy among the care home residents in Greenland.

Methods

Eight care homes in Greenland were visited between 2010 and 2016. Questionnaires including information on prescribed medication and comorbidities were collected and analyzed. Drugs were categorized according to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) category, and potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) were assessed using the Danish Interaction Database. Polypharmacy was defined as five or more prescribed drugs.

Results

All 244 eligible residents were included in the study.

SUBMITTER: Albertsen N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9243492 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature