Analysis of outpatient prescription medications in the elderly / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To understand the patterns of outpatient prescription medications in the hospital's elderly patients.Methods Data for all outpatient prescriptions at our hospital written for seniors (≥60 years old) between 2013 and 2014 were collected and medications were ranked based on the price.The top 100 medications were chosen for analysis.Results The most expensive and most frequently prescribed three therapeutic groups were drugs for cardiovascular,endocrine & metabolic,and bone & joint disorders.Medication numbers and prices varied among different age groups,with the 60-64 and 75-79 groups representing the highest numbers and prices.The average price (460.3 yuan) per prescription for male patients was higher than that (399.3 yuan) for female patients.Conclusions The cost of prescription drugs in elderly patients is higher than in middle-aged patients,with drugs for non communicable chronic diseases accounting for most of the expenses.Polypharmacy is also a prominent issue.Prescriptions for chronic illnesses in the elderly should follow well established guidelines and appropriately managed.