Observational studyInternational journal of clinical pharmacy2025
Preadmission medications and recent falls in older inpatients: an observational study.
Observational study in International journal of clinical pharmacy, 2025. 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 2 papers.
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Socioeconomic deprivation and its association with polypharmacy in England: results from a national cross-sectional survey.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2026Article
- Drug Burden Index and its association with postural balance and falls among community-dwelling older adults.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFalls in older adults might increase due to polypharmacy.
aimThis study aimed to explore the association between preadmission medications and history of falls in older inpatients.
methodThis observational study of inpatients aged ≥ 65 years was conducted over 4 years at Ballina Hospital, Australia. The Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI), Drug Burden Index (DBI), and Anticholinergic Effect on Cognition (AEC) scores were calculated for preadmission medications. Polypharmacy and falls questionnaires were administered to identify falls in the past 6 months and aptitude toward medication use.
resultsOverall, 194 participants with a mean age of 80.2 (SD 8.0) years were included. The mean daily number of regular medications was 7.8 (SD 3.9) and the mean MRCI score was 22 (SD 12.6). Among the participants, 107 (55%) reported falls in the past 6 months and 47 (24%) reported ≥ 2 falls. Age and hearing impairment were positively associated with falls (p = 0.007 and p = 0.003, respectively). History of falls was positively associated with a MRCI score of ≥ 20 (p = 0.018), an AEC score of ≥ 2 (p = 0.010) and a DBI score of ≥ 1 after adjustment for age (p = 0.041). Forgetting medications was associated with falls (p = 0.043). Antihypertensive use did not increase falls risk.
conclusionImplementing a decisive approach to simplify complex medication regimens, along with patient-focused medication management strategies, may help reduce the risk of falls in older adults. Sedatives and anticholinergic medications increase the risk of falls and should be avoided whenever possible.
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