Drug safety profiles in geriatric patients with Parkinson's disease using the FORTA (Fit fOR The Aged) classification: results from a mono-centric retrospective analysis.

To reduce potentially inappropriate medications, the FORTA (Fit fOR The Aged) concept classifies drugs in terms of their suitability for geriatric patients with different labels, namely A (indispensable), B (beneficial), C (questionable), and D (avoid). The aims of our study were to assess the medication appropriateness in PD inpatients applying the FORTA list and drug-drug interaction software, further to assess the adequacy of FORTA list for patients with PD. We retrospectively collected demographic data, comorbidities, laboratory values, and the medication from the discharge letters of 123 geriatric inpatients with PD at the university hospital of Hannover Medical School. Patients suffered on average from 8.2 comorbidities. The majority of the medication was labeled A (60.6% of PD-specific and 40.9% of other medication) or B (22.3% of PD-specific and 26.9% of other medication). Administered drugs labeled with D were amantadine, clozapine, oxazepam, lorazepam, amitriptyline, and clonidine. Overall, 545 interactions were identified, thereof 11.9% severe interactions, and 1.7% contraindicated combinations. 81.3% of patients had at least one moderate or severe interaction. The FORTA list gives rational recommendations for PD-specific and other medication, especially for general practitioners. Considering the demographic characteristics and the common multimorbidity of geriatric PD patients, this study underlines the importance of awareness, education, and preventive interventions to increase drug safety.

The nephrology eHealth-system of the metropolitan region of Hannover for digitalization of care, establishment of decision support systems and analysis of health care quality.

BACKGROUND: Even though a high demand for sector spanning communication exists, so far no eHealth platform for nephrology is established within Germany. This leads to insufficient communication between medical providers and therefore suboptimal nephrologic care. In addition, Clinical Decision Support Systems have not been used in Nephrology until now. METHODS: The aim of NEPHRO-DIGITAL is to create a eHealth platform in the Hannover region that facilitates integrated, cross-sectoral data exchange and includes teleconsultation between outpatient nephrology, primary care, pediatricians and nephrology clinics to reduce communication deficits and prevent data loss, and to enable the creation and implementation of an interoperable clinical decision support system. This system will be based on input data from multiple sources for early identification of patients with cardiovascular comorbidity and progression of renal insufficiency. Especially patients will be able to enter and access their own data. A transfer to a second nephrology center (metropolitan region of Erlangen-Nuremburg) is included in the study to prove feasibility and scalability of the approach. DISCUSSION: A decision support system should lead to earlier therapeutic interventions and thereby improve the prognosis of patients as well as their treatment satisfaction and quality of life. The system will be integrated in the data integration centres of two large German university medicine consortia (HiGHmed ( highmed.org ) and MIRACUM ( miracum.org )). TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN16755335 (09.07.2019).

Are even geriatric patients becoming older and older? : Changes in the age structure of geriatric inpatients in the course of two decades.

BACKGROUND: The life expectancy of the German population has steadily risen in the course of the past decades. As especially the oldest members of the population are treated in geriatric clinics, it would be of interest to investigate whether the increase in population age can also be found among geriatric inpatients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The demographic data of inpatients of a geriatric clinic in Hannover in the years 1994, 2004 and 2014 were analyzed according to age, gender and classification as acute care or geriatric rehabilitation. RESULTS: The mean patient age rose by 6 years in the past two decades. This was the case for both men and women but the age of men (+7.5 years) rose more than that of women (+4.9 years). Whereas the patient average age increased, especially in the first decade (+3.9 years), this increase slowed down in the following decade (+1.7 years). The 80 to 89-year-old patients remained the biggest and steadily increasing group (in 1994: 41.1%, 2004: 46.9% and 2014: 51.3%). The greatest increase, however, was found for those aged 90 years and older (1994: 4.8%, 2004: 12.2% and 2014: 17.7%). CONCLUSION: The results confirm the professional experiences of many geriatricians in that they care for an increasingly aging clientele. Particularly very old male patients in geriatric clinics are increasing. All health professional groups involved will have to face this challenge.

[General Practice in a University Emergency Department - Concept, Implementation and Evaluation]. / Allgemeinmedizin in einer universitären Notaufnahme ­ Konzept, Umsetzung und Evaluation.

Background: Accident and emergency departments (A&E) are facing increasing numbers of patients. While hospitalization rates have remained nearly constant, there has been an increase in outpatient cases. Therefore, at Hannover Medical School (MHH), general practitioners (GPs) have been integrated in A&E. Methods: In 2014, all GP contacts within the A&E were evaluated on the basis of hospital routine data and by an additional questionnaire. It contained questions about who initiated the admission, about medical examinations and tests and the patient-related admission decisions. Results: In 2014, GPs in A&E treated 1 646 patients. 76% of the patients were self-referrals and 23% referrals from primary care physicians. The most prevalent diagnoses were back pain, gastroenteritis and hypertension. GPs in A&E did not need any additional specialist involvement in most cases. 81% of the patients were sent home, most of them with the advice to consult their GPs (59%), and 22% to consult a specialist. Repeated visits were scarce. Conclusion: Deploying GPs in A&E represents a promising concept to cope with the rising number of patients in A&E. However, further studies are needed to examine the accuracy of the GPs' diagnosis-related decisions and patient satisfaction.

[Use and acceptance of a basic geriatric assessment in primary care setting]. / Das geriatrische Basisassessment in der Hausarztpraxis.

BACKGROUND: Aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptance and use of a basic geriatric assessment (BGA), as it is covered by the German pay system, in primary care practices. METHODS: We conducted qualitative interviews and collected quantitative data by an online questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 17 (10 men) general practitioners (GPs) agreed to be interviewed; 161 patients (134 men) completed the online questionnaire. GPs mainly performed BGA to substantiate the suspicion of cognitive impairment. Most of the German general practices accomplished not more than 5-10 BGA per quarter. Although those GPs who conducted BGA were convinced of its usefulness with regard to further patient care, concrete interventions were rarely named. The tests used within the BGA were not always in line with recommendations from the specific guidelines. The main reasons not to conduct BGA were the amount of time required and the lack of therapeutic consequences. CONCLUSION: Hitherto BGA is not an established tool in German primary care practices. The question, which single instruments are most suitable for older general practice patients, still needs clarification.

Prerequisites for a new health care model for elderly people with multimorbidity: the PRISCUS research consortium.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity, the concurrent manifestation or presence of multiple chronic conditions, poses huge challenges to affected patients, their relatives, physicians, and practitioners alike. The growing number of affected persons and the complexity of their needs places just as much of a burden on the health care system as does the plethora of often poorly coordinated interventions. The Chronic Care Model developed for different chronic diseases is suited for improving medical care. The PRISCUS research consortium was established to create the prerequisites for a new care model for multimorbid, elderly patients oriented along those lines. METHODS: The research consortium utilizes data gathered in a large-scale epidemiological study on peripheral arterial disease (getABI study) and from the Dortmund and Münster stroke registries, by extracting epidemiologic and health economic data, quality-of-life parameters, and data on the extent and quality of medication. Additional projects evaluate the implementation of a multidimensional geriatric assessment in primary care, the functional consequences of multimorbidity in stroke patients along with options for prevention and therapy afforded by physical activity. Systematic reviews of the literature are used to describe quality of life and patient preferences. Experts will work on an initial draft treatment standard for patients with multimorbidity and a list of potentially inappropriate medication for the elderly in Germany. CONCLUSION: The results of the PRISCUS research consortium will enable an epidemiologic characterization and description of consequences of multimorbidity, while illustrating new approaches towards prevention, diagnosis, and management of multimorbid patients. With this, some prerequisites for a new health care model for patients with multimorbidity comparable to the Chronic Care Model will be fulfilled.

[Prerequisites for a new health care model for elderly people with multiple morbidities: results and conclusions from 3 years of research in the PRISCUS consortium]. / Voraussetzungen für ein neues Versorgungsmodell für ältere Menschen mit Multimorbidität: Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerungen aus 3-jähriger Forschung im PRISCUS-Verbund.

BACKGROUND: The concurrent presence or manifestation of multiple chronic conditions, i.e. multimorbidity, poses a challenge to affected patients and their relatives, physicians, and practitioners, and to the health care system in general. Aiming to improve medical care for different chronic diseases, the Chronic Care Model also appears to be suited for multimorbidity. The established research consortium PRISCUS is trying to create some of the prerequisites for a new care model for multimorbid, elderly patients oriented along the lines of the Chronic Care Model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four out of seven subprojects of the research consortium provide an overview of some of their findings. Topics in a sports medicine subproject were the assessment of physical activity by means of a newly developed questionnaire and the development and feasibility testing of an exercise program for elderly people with chronic conditions and mobility impairment. Partners from family medicine implemented geriatric assessment in a primary care setting and evaluated its consequences. In a pharmacological subproject, potentially inappropriate medication as well as drug-drug interactions and dosing errors were addressed. The health economic subproject investigated quality of life impairment due to multiple chronic diseases and the effects of multimorbidity on costs. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the PRISCUS research consortium allow a better description of consequences of multimorbidity and illustrate at least some new approaches towards prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of patients suffering from multimorbidity. Ongoing projects will test the efficacy of a physical activity program and a new complex intervention to reduce potentially inappropriate medication in the elderly. With this, the research consortium will create some prerequisites for a new health care model for patients with multimorbidity comparable to the Chronic Care Model.

[PrefCheck: patient-centered treatment planning with older multimorbid patients. Method and design]. / PräfCheck: Patientenzentrierte Behandlungsplanung mit älteren multimorbiden Patienten. Methodik und Design.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to develop and test a consultation guide (PrefCheck) for general practitioners (GPs) based on geriatric assessment results. The goal of the consultation guide is to facilitate priority setting and treatment planning based on building a partnership with geriatric patients with multiple chronic diseases. METHODS AND AIMS: The mixed method study consists of three complementary parts: (A) health and treatment priorities of 32 patients and their 8 GPs are determined and explored on the basis of assessment results. These findings lead to the development of the consultation guide, which is subsequently tested in a cluster-randomized controlled intervention study (B) with 40 GPs and 320 patients. The aim of this study is to assess whether PrefCheck results in improved agreement in the number of health and treatment priorities between patients and their doctors. The study concludes with an evaluation study (C) with 5 GPs and 15 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Results will be presented in a future publication. In particular it will be demonstrated whether the consultation guide can strengthen the position of older patients in the doctor-patient relationship, increase the level of information on both sides, and contribute to a shared and holistic treatment planning.

Prevalence and predictors of polypharmacy among older primary care patients in Germany.

BACKGROUND: Older people consume an increasing amount of medication. Polypharmacy is associated with an elevated risk of adverse health outcomes resulting in hospitalizations and sometimes death. OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) medications among older general practice patients living in the community. To determine predictors of polypharmacy (five or more prescribed drugs) from a variety of patient- and doctor-related factors. METHODS: Sixty-seven randomly selected practices in two areas of Germany and 466 of their older patients (70+ years) were recruited for a geriatric assessment study. A cross-sectional analysis of health problems, GPs' awareness and their interventions was conducted. In this post hoc analysis, we assessed the medication use as reported by older patients and compared it with doctors' perceived medication regimens for their respective patients. The detailed assessment of patients' health and well-being enabled us to explore a variety of predictors of polypharmacy using logistic regression analysis with forward selection. RESULTS: Study participants consumed an average of 3.7 prescribed medicines and an additional 1.4 OTC drugs. In all, 26.7% of patients used five and more chronically prescribed drugs. A set of five determinants predicted polypharmacy best: breathlessness, hypertension, dependency on instrumental activities of daily living, low subjective health and medication disagreement between doctors and patients. CONCLUSION: This older general practice population in Germany is among the top pharmaceutical user group of European study samples. Apart from disease-specific determinants, GPs should be aware that low subjective health and medication disagreement are independent predictors of polypharmacy.

[Home visits in German general practice: findings from routinely collected computer data of 158,000 patients]. / Hausbesuche: Versorgungsforschung mit hausärztlichen Routinedaten von 158.000 Patienten.

INTRODUCTION: Home visits are an integral part of general practice. However, information on this subject is lacking in Germany. Therefore we aim to describe the quantity of home visits, the target population and the workload for general practitioners on the basis of computerised data routinely collected in general practices. METHODS: The routine care data originate from 136 practices of the areas of Göttingen and Freiburg. Electronic patient records provided billing codes for home visits and consultations, patients' anonymous identification number, age, gender and ICD codes. RESULTS: 84 practices with complete datasets of 158,383 patients were available for the cross-sectional analysis in 2002. 12% of all patients required at least one home visit - significantly more elderly and female patients. Half of all patients visited at home requested one visit, whereas nearly 5% needed at least fortnightly visits throughout the year. 2/3 of all visited patients received an emergency visit. The quantity and nature of diseases also influenced home visit status. The workload of an average practice contained 9 visits per 100 consultations. 15 practices provided datasets between 1997 and 2001. In this period the total number of home visits declined. Within the same period, the target group has increasingly been restricted to old patients. CONCLUSION: Old age, female gender, quantity and nature of diseases positively influence home visit status. Compared to general practices in other European countries, the workload caused by house calls seems high in this German sample. Over recent years the frequency of home visits has decreased. In view of the demographic changes, decisions will have to be made as to who will care for the growing numbers of old patients requiring home visits.