ArticleBMC pharmacology & toxicology2017
Evaluation of pharmacotherapy complexity in residents of long-term care facilities: a cross-sectional descriptive study.
Article in BMC pharmacology & toxicology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Association of potentially inappropriate prescribing with drug-drug interactions and medication regimen complexity in geriatric patients: a cross-sectional analytical study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Observational
- Statement on medication simplification in long-term care facilities by the Japanese Society of Geriatric Pharmacy: English translation of the Japanese article.Geriatrics & gerontology international · 2025Review
- Complexity of the Therapeutic Regimen in Older Adults with Cancer: Associated Factors.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Potentially Inappropriate Medication: A Pilot Study in Institutionalized Older Adults.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Use of herbal medicinal products among patients in primary health care in a Brazilian southeastern city: evidence from the Prover project.Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2024Article
- Medication regimen complexity index and rehabilitation outcomes in post-acute hip fracture patients study: a retrospective study.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2022Article
- Determine the impact of a structured pharmacist-led medication review - a controlled intervention study to optimise medication safety for residents in long-term care facilities.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- Prescribing-Assessment Tools for Long-Term Care Pharmacy Practice: Reaching Consensus through a Modified RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Development of medication regimen complexity index: Japanese version and application in elderly patients.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2021Article
- Impact of Medication Regimen Simplification on Medication Incidents in Residential Aged Care: SIMPLER Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- Review
- Potential drug interactions with antibacterials in long-term care facilities analyzed by two interaction checkers.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2019Article
- Medication Regimen Complexity In 8 Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities: Impact Of Age, Length Of Stay, Comorbidity, Frailty, And Dependence In Activities Of Daily Living.Clinical interventions in aging · 2019Article
- A nurse practitioner led protocol to address polypharmacy in long-term care.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPolypharmacy is a reality in long-term care facilities. However, number of medications used by the patient should not be the only predictor of a complex pharmacotherapy. Although the level of complexity of pharmacotherapy is considered an important factor that may lead to side effects, there are few studies in this field. The aim of this study was to evaluate the complexity of pharmacotherapy in residents of three long-term care facilities.
methodsA cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the complexity of pharmacotherapy using the protocols laid out in the Medication Regimen Complexity Index instrument in three long-term care facilities in northeastern Brazil. As a secondary result, potential drug interactions, potentially inappropriate medications, medication duplication, and polypharmacy were evaluated. After the assessment, the association among these variables and the Medication Regimen Complexity Index was performed.
resultsIn this study, there was a higher prevalence of women (64.4%) with a high mean age among the study population of 81.8 (±9.7) years. The complexity of pharmacotherapy obtained a mean of 15.1 points (±9.8), with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 59. The highest levels of complexity were associated with dose frequency, with a mean of 5.5 (±3.6), followed by additional instructions of use averaging 4.9 (±3.7) and by the dosage forms averaging 4.6 (±3.0).
conclusionsThe present study evaluated some factors that complicate the pharmacotherapy of geriatric patients. Although polypharmacy was implicated as a factor directly related to complexity, other indicators such as drug interactions, potentially inappropriate medications, and therapeutic duplication can also make the use of pharmacotherapy in such patients more difficult.
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