Geriatrics & gerontology international
-
Geriatr Gerontol Int · Jan 2014
Rationale for physicians to propose do-not-resuscitate orders in elderly community-acquired pneumonia cases.
In many countries, do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders were not legislated, partly because rationale for proposal of DNR orders have not been studied in elderly pneumonia patients with cognitive and physical disorders. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the factors influencing physicians' proposal for DNR orders and their validity as prognostic predictor, by comparing elderly pneumonia cases with and without DNR orders. ⋯ The present study showed factors involved in the physicians proposal of DNR orders, demonstrating that DNR was empirically chosen based on comprehensive judgment of several prognostic predictors and it, in itself, was a good prognostic predictor.
-
Geriatr Gerontol Int · Jan 2014
Potentially inappropriate medicines in a cohort of community-dwelling older people in New Zealand.
To examine independent factors associated with potentially inappropriate medicines (PIM) among 316 community-dwelling people aged ≥75 years living in Dunedin. ⋯ The prevalence of PIM is relatively high in community-dwelling older people aged ≥75 years living in New Zealand. PIM defined by the Beers criteria might be a useful initial screening tool, before efforts to stop unsafe medication use or replace with safer alternatives are initiated.