Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Apr 13;6(4):e1196.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1196. eCollection 2023 Apr.

Self-assessed medication risk factors as part of comprehensive health screening in home-dwelling older adults

Jonna-Carita Kanninen  1   2 , Juha Puustinen  2   3 , Marja Airaksinen  4 , Hannu Kautiainen  5 , Anna-Liisa Koivisto  6 , Pauliina Hietasalo  6 , Anna-Maija Heikkilä  7 , Susanna Kunvik  8 , Terhi Toivo  9   10 , Maarit Dimitrow  4 , Jussi Bergman  11 , Anu Holm  11
Affiliations

Self-assessed medication risk factors as part of comprehensive health screening in home-dwelling older adults

Jonna-Carita Kanninen et al. Health Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Background: Poor medication management may negatively impact the health and functional capacity of older adults. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify medication-related risk factors in home-dwelling residents using a validated self-assessment as part of comprehensive health screening.

Methods: The data were derived from comprehensive health screening (PORI75) for older adults of 75 years living in Western Finland in 2020 and 2021. One of 30 validated measures in health screening focused on identifying medication-related risk factors (LOTTA Checklist). The Checklist items were divided into (1) systemic risk factors (10 items) and (2) potentially drug-induced symptoms (10 items). Polypharmacy was categorized according to the number of used drugs: (1) no polypharmacy (<5 drugs), (2) polypharmacy (≥5 and <10), and (3) excessive polypharmacy (≥10). The linearity across these three polypharmacy groups was evaluated using the Cochran-Armitage test.

Results: Altogether, 1024 out of 1094 residents who participated in the health screening consented to this study (n = 569 in 2020 and n = 459 in 2021). The mean number of all drugs in use was 7.0 (range 0-26; SD 4.1), with 71% of the residents using >5 drugs, that is, having polypharmacy. Of the systemic risk factors most common was that the resident had more than one physician responsible for the treatment (48% of the residents), followed by missing drug list (43%), missing regular monitoring (35%), and unclear durations of the medication (35%). The most experienced potentially drug-induced symptoms were self-reported constipation (21%), urinating problems (20%), and unusual tiredness (17%). An increasing number of drugs in use, particularly excessive polypharmacy, was associated with various medication-related risk factors.

Conclusion: As a part of comprehensive health screening the LOTTA Checklist provides useful information to prevent medication-related risk factors in home-dwelling older adults. The Checklist could be used to guide planning and implementing health services in the future.

Keywords: health screening; home‐dwelling; medication‐related risks; older adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The self‐assessed systemic medication‐related risk factors in 75‐year‐old residents (n = 953) by using the LOTTA Checklist.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Self‐reported potentially drug‐induced symptoms that had repeatedly disrupted 75‐year‐old residents' normal life within the 4 weeks before self‐assessment by using the LOTTA Checklist (n = 953).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Escoubas CC, Silva‐García CG, Mair WB. Deregulation of CRTCs in aging and age‐related disease risk. TIG. 2017;33(5):303‐321. 10.1016/j.tig.2017.03.002 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities . Quality recommendation to guarantee a good quality of life and improved services for older persons 2020–2023. The aim is an age‐friendly Finland. Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2020 (online). Accessed March 18, 2021. https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/162455/STM_20...
    1. World Health Organization . Home care across Europe 2012, current structure and future challenges (online). 2012. Accessed August 25, 2021. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/181799/e96757.pdf
    1. Teperi J, Porter ME, Vuorenkoski L, et al. The Finnish health care system: a value‐based perspective. Sitra Reports 82. 2009 (online). Accessed August 25, 2021. http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Finnish_Health_Care_Syste...
    1. Cohen M, ed. Medication Errors. 2nd ed. American Pharmaceutical Association; 2007.