Medications and Falls Experiences among Older People

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the status of drug use and analyze the effects of drug use on falls among older people.Methods: The data were collected from 285 community-dwelling older persons through interviewing with questionnaires and checking participants’ medication prescriptions and the drugs using the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center’s (KPIC) website. The medications were classified into anatomical and therapeutic divisions based on the medications’ ingredients provided by the KPIC. x2 test, ANOVA, t-test, and logistic regressions were applied to analyze the data.Results: The finding showed that 81.4% of the older adults were taking medications. Older people taking antihyperlipidemic drugs were at 1.79 times higher risk for experiencing a fall (95% CI=1.01~3.16, p=.046), and hypnotic sedative and sleeping pills increased their fall risks 11.06 times (95% CI=1.27~96.07, p=.029) compared to those not taking the medications. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents showed a 2.74 odds ratio (95% CI=1.23~5.73, p=.013) and narcotic analgesics increased the fall experience risk 8.56 times (95% CI=1.02~71.88, p=.048). Those with chronic diseases experienced falls 3.04 times more than those without chronic diseases.Conclusion: The study findings showed medications might be one of the important influencing factors on fall risks among older adults. Raising awareness of fall risks associated with medicines through health education and medication reviews by health professionals should be considered a strategy for preventing older adults' falls.