A STUDY ON POLYPHARMACY AMONG ELDERLY PATIENTS IN MEDICINE WARD OF A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL OF EASTERN INDIA

Abstract

Background: In the modern era, with the increase in the lifespan of individuals with increasing access to health-care facilities, the population of elderly is also increasing with an equal pace. However, on the other hand, with the increasing population of the elderly another important issue of polypharmacy has also emerged. Elderly people usually have more disease conditions for which more of medications are prescribed in older individuals as compared to younger population. Hence, optimizing drug therapy in this aging population is a challenging task for physician. Polypharmacy can also lead to increase in drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, and medication errors. It was an observational, cross-sectional, prospective study. The Materials and Methods: study was conducted in patients admitted in general medicine wards at College of Medicine& JNM Hospital, Kalyani, West Bengal. The study involved 320 elderly patients (above 65 years of age) of either sex for 3 months from January to March 2020. The information recorded included the demographic details of the patients, diagnosis, comorbid illnesses, details about medications being, the total number of drugs being used, and the factors associated with polypharmacy. A total of 320 geriatric patients were included in the study. Pol Results: ypharmacy was found (>5 medications/day) in 79.71% of geriatrics. Pantoprazole , antimnicrobials and NSAIDS were most commonly prescribed drugs. To counteract the problems Conclusion: associated with polypharmacy, regular follow- ups and proper monitoring of drug regimens of older individuals are the need of the hour.