Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32525902›Full record

ArticlePloS one2020

Prevalence of polypharmacy and the association with non-communicable diseases in Qatari elderly patients attending primary healthcare centers: A cross-sectional study.

Ayman Al-Dahshan, Noora Al-Kubiasi, Manal Al-Zaidan, Wael Saeed, Vahe Kehyayan, Iheb Bougmiza

Erratum issuedOpen access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 27 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed
2.9field-weighted citation impact, top 9% 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

27 citing papers in PubMed, 46 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Ayman Al-DahshanCommunity Medicine Residency Program, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0001-6132-3223
Noora Al-KubiasiCommunity Medicine Residency Program, Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Manal Al-ZaidanClinical Affairs Department, Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Wael SaeedClinical Affairs Department, Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Vahe KehyayanUniversity of Calgary in Qatar, Doha, Qatar.
Iheb BougmizaCommunity Medicine Residency Program, Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Primary Health Care · QAHamad Medical Corporation · QAUniversity of Calgary in Qatar · QA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPolypharmacy has become a global public health concern particularly in the elderly population. The elderly population is the most susceptible to the negative effects of polypharmacy due to their altered pharmacokinetics and decreased drug clearance. Therefore, polypharmacy can lead to poor health status and higher rates of morbidity and mortality.

objectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy (≥ 5 drugs) and its association with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in elderly (≥65 years) Qatari patients attending Primary Healthcare (PHC) centers in Qatar.

methodsA retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) database of all PHC centers in Qatar for six months (April-September 2017).

resultsOut of 5639 patients screened, 75.5% (95% CI: 74.3-76.6) were exposed to polypharmacy. Females were 1.18 times more likely to have polypharmacy compared to males (95% CI: 1.03-1.34). The multivariate analysis identified having hypertension (AOR 1.71; 95% CI: 1.38-2.13), diabetes (AOR 2.38; 95% CI: 1.97-2.87), dyslipidemia (AOR 1.29; 95% CI: 1.06-1.56), cardiovascular disease (AOR 1.56; 95% CI: 1.25-1.95) and asthma (AOR 1.39; 95% CI: 1.13-1.72) to be independent parameters associated with polypharmacy. Also, the Body Mass Index (BMI) and number of NCDs were found to be significant independent parameters associated with polypharmacy.

conclusionsThe prevalence of polypharmacy among Qatari elderly attending PHC Centers is very high. Our findings confirm the strong relationship between polypharmacy and BMI, and certain NCDs. Healthcare professionals should be educated about the magnitude of polypharmacy, its negative effects, and its associated factors. Best practice guidelines should be developed for improved medical practice in the prescription of medications for such a vulnerable population.

Indexed as

PolypharmacyAgedAged, 80 and overAsthmaCardiovascular DiseasesComorbidityCross-Sectional StudiesElectronic Health RecordsFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMetabolic DiseasesMultivariate AnalysisNoncommunicable DiseasesObesity

Identifiers

PMID32525902
PMCPMC7289385
OpenAlexW3035270129

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.