Evidence map›Paper›PMID 16307267›Full record

Trial reportEuropean journal of clinical pharmacology2005

Patterns of drug prescription in a geriatric evaluation and management unit as compared with the general medical wards: a randomised study.

Ingvild Saltvedt, Olav Spigset, Sabine Ruths, Peter Fayers, Stein Kaasa, Olav Sletvold

Abstract readComparative StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2005. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 73 citations in OpenAlex.

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  3. Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults admitted to hospital.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017
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  6. Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults admitted to hospital.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2011
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Ingvild SaltvedtSection of Geriatrics, Division of Medicine, St. Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. Ingvild.Saltvedt@medisin.ntnu.no
Olav Spigset
Sabine Ruths
Peter Fayers
Stein Kaasa
Olav Sletvold
Norwegian University of Science and Technology · NOSt Olav's University Hospital · NOUniversity of Aberdeen · GBUniversity of Bergen · NO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis study's objective was to determine whether patients treated in a geriatric evaluation and management unit (GEMU) had a more appropriate drug profile than patients treated in the general medical wards (MW).

methodsFrail elderly patients admitted as emergencies to the medical department were randomised to treatment in the GEMU (n=127) or MW (n=127). Drugs used at inclusion and discharge were registered retrospectively and analysed with regard to polypharmacy, number of drugs withdrawn or started, potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs), number of anticholinergic drugs prescribed, and the number of inappropriate drug prescriptions according to Beers' criteria. Utilisation of psychotropic and cardiovascular drugs was compared in detail according to prespecified hypotheses.

resultsThe number of patients with polypharmacy did not differ significantly between the GEMU and MW. The median number of scheduled drugs withdrawn per patient was higher in the GEMU than in the MW (p=0.005). Drugs with anticholinergic effects (p=0.003); cardiovascular drugs (p<0.001), particularly digitalis glycosides (p<0.001); and antipsychotic drugs (p=0.009) were withdrawn more often in the GEMU. The median number of scheduled drugs started was higher in the GEMU than in the MW (p=0.03). In particular, antidepressants (p<0.001) and estriol (p=0.001) were started more often in the GEMU than in the MW. Fewer GEMU than MW patients had potential DDIs at discharge (p=0.009).

conclusionDrug treatment in the GEMU as compared with the MW was more appropriate in terms of prescription of fewer drugs with anticholinergic effects and fewer potential DDIs. There were distinct differences in treatment patterns of cardiovascular and psychotropic drugs.

Indexed as

Drug InteractionsAgedAged, 80 and overDrug PrescriptionsFemaleFrail ElderlyGeriatric AssessmentHospital DepartmentsHumansMaleNorwayPharmacoepidemiology

Identifiers

PMID16307267
OpenAlexW2056108270

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.