Polypharmacy and the use of medications in inpatients with acquired brain injury during post-acute rehabilitation: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the use of medications during inpatient post-acute rehabilitation for acquired brain injury (ABI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All inpatients with ABI undergoing post-acute rehabilitation in centres identified through the roster of the Italian Society for Rehabilitation Medicine were included. A designated physician in each centre collected information through a structured questionnaire. This study calculated (a) prevalence of medication use, (b) logistic regression Odds Ratio (OR), with 95% confidence interval (95% CI), of polypharmacy (≥ 6 medications). RESULTS: A total of 484 patients (median age = 52 years, 63.4% men, median time from acute event = 18.5 weeks) were included; 33.8% had Rancho Los Amigos Levels of Cognitive Functioning Scale (RLAS) score 1-2, 8.1% had a score of 7-8, of whom 92.0% received medications, 51.8% had a score of 6-10, of whom 83.9% had at least one psychotropic medication and 66.9% had two or more; 51.8% received anti-epileptics, 32.1% anti-depressants, 14.5% anti-psychotics, peaking in RLAS 4 (37.3%) and decreasing in RLAS 7-8. Polypharmacy was directly associated with age (55-64 years, OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.1-4.1; ≥ 65 years, OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 0.9-3.3), inversely with RLAS score (1-2 vs 7-8, OR = 4.3; 95% CI = 1.9-9.8). CONCLUSION: Polypharmacy and concurrent use of psychotropic medications was common, raising concern about drug-drug interactions. Safety and effectiveness of medications should be monitored, particularly when used concurrently.

Prescribing practice and off-label use of psychotropic medications in post-acute brain injury rehabilitation centres: a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: Guidance on pharmacotherapy of neurobehavioural sequelae post-acquired brain injury (ABI) is limited. Clinicians face the choice of prescribing off-label. This survey assesses prescribing practice and off-label use of psychotropic medications in Italian brain injury rehabilitation centres and factors associated with atypical antipsychotics use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Centres were identified through the roster of the Italian Society for Rehabilitation Medicine. Information was collected through a structured questionnaire. This study calculated the prevalence of centres reporting to use off-label individual medications and unconditional logistic regression Odds Ratio (OR), with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of atypical antipsychotics use. RESULTS: Psychotropic medications were commonly used. More than 50% of the 35 centres (participation ratio 87.5%) reported to use off-label selected antipsychotics, mostly for agitation (90.5%) and behavioural disturbances (19.0%), and antidepressants, mostly for insomnia (37.5%) and pain (25.0%). Atypical antipsychotic use was directly associated with age <40 years (OR = 2.68; 95% CI = 1.25-5.76), recent ABI (1.74; 0.74-4.09), not with reported off-label use (0.98; 0.44-2.18). CONCLUSION: In clinical practice, the effectiveness and safety of medications, in particular off-label, should be systematically monitored. Studies are needed to improve the quality of evidence guiding pharmacotherapy and to evaluate effectiveness and safety of off-label prescribing.