Inappropriate drug use and health-related quality of life among the elderly patients a ending the Family Medicine clinic of a tertiary hospital in south-western Nigeria.

Abstract

Background and Aim: There is a high incidence of multiple morbidities, the tendency to take many drugs at a time, the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM), the use of over-the-counter medications (OTC's) and doctor-shopping among the elderly. This research studied inappropriate drug use (IDU) pa erns and their relationship with the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly patients. 

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 322 elderly patients a ending the Family Medicine clinic of a tertiary hospital. The patients were recruited using a systematic sampling method, and their data was obtained using a structured questionnaire that incorporated Beer's criteria and SF 36 questions.  

Results: The respondents' prevalence of IDU was high (n=284; 88.20%). The frequency of engagement in polypharmacy, the use of OTC drugs, and PIM among the respondents were 177(55%), 137 (42.5%), and 164 (50.9%), respectively. The overall HRQoL of the respondents was found to be good (>50 scores) in seven out of eight domains. The majority of the respondents who had poor HRQoL (n=81; 89.0%) were observed to also engage in IDU. However, the rela onship was not sta s cally significant (X2 = 0.080, p = 0.777). 

Conclusion and recommendation: A regular medication review by a ending physicians and educating elderly patients and their caregivers on appropriate drug use is recommended.