• Yuichi Hayashi, Ayumi Godai, Megumi Yamada, Nobuaki Yoshikura, Naoko Harada, Akihiro Koumura, Akio Kimura, Shinji Okayasu, Yasuko Matsuno, Yasutomi Kinosada, Yoshinori Itoh, and Takashi Inuzuka.
• Department of Neurology and Geriatrics, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
• Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2017 Apr 1; 17 (4): 653-658.

AimPolypharmacy is a major problem for elderly patients in developed countries. We investigated whether a multidisciplinary medication review using electronic medical records could reduce the number of drugs administered to elderly patients receiving polypharmacy.MethodsThe present study included 432 elderly patients (188 women, 244 men; 267 patients aged 65-74 years and 165 patients aged ≥75 years) who were admitted to and discharged from the Department of Neurology and Geriatrics, Gifu University Hospital, between 2004 and 2011; those who died at the hospital were excluded. The names, categories, and numbers of orally administered drugs at admission and discharge were examined retrospectively using electronic medical records. The histories of continuous oral immunotherapy use at the hospital, falls during the 2 years before hospital admission and the presence of fall risk factors were also evaluated. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsOn average 1.14 ± 3.07 fewer types of drugs were given to patients at discharge than at admission in patients receiving polypharmacy (P < 0.001). However, the number of drugs given to patients undergoing continuous oral immunotherapy increased by 1.67 ± 3.47 (P < 0.001). The number of drugs was reduced in 33.1% of fallers, and 36.3% of non-fallers. In both fallers and non-fallers, there was a reduction in drug categories associated with falls.ConclusionsMultidisciplinary medication review using electronic medical records could significantly reduce the numbers of drugs taken by elderly inpatients receiving polypharmacy, including drugs associated with falls, in both fallers and non-fallers Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 653-658.© 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

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