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Socioeconomic determinants of psychotropic drug utilisation among elderly: a national population-based cross-sectional study.
Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordic School of Public Health NHV.
Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordic School of Public Health NHV.
Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordic School of Public Health NHV.
Department of Research and Development, The National Corporation of Swedish Pharmacies (Apoteket AB), Gothenburg, Sweden.
2010 (English)In: BMC Public Health, E-ISSN 1471-2458, Vol. 10, p. 118-Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

BACKGROUND: Psychotropic drugs are commonly utilised among the elderly. This study aimed to analyse whether two socioeconomic determinants - income and marital status - are associated with differences in utilisation of psychotropic drugs and potentially inappropriate psychotropic drugs among elderly in Sweden.

METHODS: All individuals aged 75 years and older who had purchased a psychotropic drug in Sweden during 2006 were included (68.7% women, n = 384712). Data was collected from national individual-based registers. Outcome measures were utilisation of three or more psychotropic drugs and utilisation of potentially inappropriate psychotropic drugs, as classified by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare.

RESULTS: Individuals with low income were more likely to utilise three or more psychotropic drugs compared to those with high income; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-1.14). The non-married had a higher probability for utilising three or more psychotropic drugs compared to the married (aOR 1.22; CI 1.20-1.25). The highest probability was observed among the divorced and the never married. Potentially inappropriate psychotropic drugs were more common among individuals with low compared to high income (aOR 1.14; CI 1.13-1.16). Compared to the married, potentially inappropriate psychotropic drug utilisation occurred more commonly among the non-married (aOR 1.08; CI 1.06-1.10). The never married and the divorced had the highest probability.

CONCLUSIONS: There was an association between socioeconomic determinants and psychotropic drug utilisation. The probability for utilising potentially inappropriate psychotropics was higher among individuals with low income and among the non-married.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2010. Vol. 10, p. 118-
National Category
Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-3720DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-118PubMedID: 20214796OAI: oai:DiVA.org:norden-3720DiVA, id: diva2:786353
Available from: 2015-02-05 Created: 2015-02-05 Last updated: 2023-12-01Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Psychotropic drugs among the elderly: Population-based studies on indicators of inappropriate utilisationin relation to socioeconomic determinants and mental disordersEva LesénGothenburg,
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Psychotropic drugs among the elderly: Population-based studies on indicators of inappropriate utilisationin relation to socioeconomic determinants and mental disordersEva LesénGothenburg,
2011 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Background: Drug utilisation among the elderly is complex due to multiplemorbidities, extensive drug utilisation and an increased sensitivity to drugs. One of the most common drug groups utilised in this population is psychotropic drugs, which include antipsychotics, anxiolytics, hypnotics, and antidepressants. In appropriat eutilisation of drugs among the elderly is an issue of great public health importance.

Aims: The overall aim of this thesis is to assess and analyse potentially in appropriat eutilisation of psychotropic drugs among the elderly in Sweden. The specific aims are to assess to what extent the indicator “concurrent use of three or more psychotropic drugs”captures the utilisation of Potentially Inappropriate Psychotropics (PIP) among theelderly, and to analyse potentially inappropriate utilisation of psychotropic drugs inrelation to time, mental disorders, institutionalisation, and socioeconomic determinants among the elderly in Sweden.

Methods: Data from individual-based registers on dispensed drugs and socioeconomic determinants in 2006, the Gothenburg 95+ Study (1996-1998), and aggregated drug sales statistics from 2000-2008 were used. The agreement between the two indicators“concurrent use of three or more psychotropic drugs” and PIP was assessed. Utilisationof psychotropic drugs and PIP was assessed in relation to mental disorders and institutionalisation among the 95-year olds, and in relation to socioeconomic determinants among individuals aged 75 years and older. Further, trends over time inutilisation of PIP and recommended drugs were analysed.

Results: During 2006, about half of the elderly aged 75 years and older utilised psychotropic drugs and one fifth of all elderly utilised PIP. One fourth of individualsutilising PIP were captured by the indicator “concurrent use of three or morepsychotropic drugs”. In 1996-1998, less than one tenth of the 95-year olds with depression utilised antidepressants, while hypnotics and anxiolytics were more common. Individuals with low income and the non-married were more likely to utilise PIP compared to those with high income and the married, respectively. During 2000-2008, utilisation of PIP decreased and utilisation of recommended psychotropic drugs increased.

Conclusions: There are substantial problems in the utilisation of psychotropic drugsamong the elderly. This thesis found that the agreement between two indicators of inappropriate psychotropic drug utilisation was poor, which emphasises the importance of choosing relevant indicators. The findings also show socioeconomic inequities inpsychotropic drug utilisation among the elderly, a low utilisation of antidepressants among 95-year olds diagnosed with depression, and a trend towards the utilisation of recommended rather than inappropriate psychotropic drugs among the elderly

Abstract [sv]

Bakgrund: Användning av läkemedel bland äldre är komplicerat på grund avmultisjuklighet, användning av flera läkemedel och en ökad känslighet för läkemedel.En av de vanligaste läkemedelsgrupperna hos äldre är psykofarmaka, som inkluderarantipsykotika, ångestdämpande, sömnmedel och antidepressiva läkemedel. Olämpliganvändning av läkemedel bland äldre är ett betydande folkhälsoproblem.

Syfte: Det övergripande syftet med avhandlingen är att beskriva och analyserapotentiellt olämplig användning av psykofarmaka bland äldre i Sverige. De specifikasyftena är att undersöka i vilken utsträckning indikatorn ”samtidig användning av treeller fler psykofarmaka” fångar användningen av potentiellt olämpliga psykofarmaka(PIP) bland äldre och att analysera potentiellt olämplig användning av psykofarmaka irelation till förändring över tid, psykiatriska diagnoser, boendeform och socioekonomiska determinanter bland äldre i Sverige.

Metod: Avhandlingen baseras på data från individbaserade register över läkemedelsköp och socioekonomiska determinanter under 2006, Göteborg 95+ studien (1996-1998)samt aggregerade data över läkemedelsförsäljning under 2000-2008. Överensstämmelsen mellan de två indikatorerna ”samtidig användning av tre eller flerpsykofarmaka” och PIP undersöktes. Användning av psykofarmaka och PIP studerades i relation till psykiatriska diagnoser och boendeform hos 95-åringar och i relation till socioekonomiska determinanter hos de som var 75 år och äldre. Vidare analyseradesförändring över tid i användning av PIP och rekommenderade psykofarmaka.

Resultat: Hälften av alla äldre som var 75 år och äldre använde psykofarmaka under2006 och en femtedel av alla äldre använde PIP. En fjärdedel av individerna somanvände PIP fångades av indikatorn ”samtidig användning av tre eller flerpsykofarmaka”. Bland 95-åringarna med depression år 1996-1998 använde färre än enav tio antidepressiva läkemedel, medan sömnmedel och ångestdämpande läkemedel varvanligare. PIP var vanligare hos de äldre med låg inkomst och bland de som inte vargifta, jämfört med individer med hög inkomst och de gifta. Under 2000-2008 minskade användningen av PIP medan användningen av rekommenderade psykofarmaka ökade.

Slutsatser: Det finns fortfarande stora problem i äldres användning av psykofarmaka.Avhandlingen visar en låg överensstämmelse mellan två indikatorer för olämpliganvändning av psykofarmaka, vilket pekar på betydelsen av att välja relevantaindikatorer. Avhandlingen visar också på socioekonomiska ojämlikheter i användningenav psykofarmaka hos äldre, en låg användning av antidepressiva läkemedel bland 95-åringar med depression och en ökning i användningen av rekommenderade istället förolämpliga psykofarmaka bland äldre

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Nordic School of Public Health NHV Göteborg, Sweden, 2011. p. 80
Series
NHV Reports and Doctor of Public Health-Theses, ISSN 0283-1961 ; NHV Report 2011:2
Keywords
drug utilisation, psychotropic drugs, elderly, inappropriate drugs, quality indicators, mental disorders, socioeconomic determinants, Sweden, läkemedelsanvändning, psykofarmaka, äldre, olämpliga läkemedel, kvalitetsindikatorer, psykiatriska diagnoser, socioekonomiska determinanter, Sverige
National Category
Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-3721 (URN)978-91-86739-09-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2011-05-06, Nordic School of Public Health NHV, Göteborg, Sweden, 13:00 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2015-02-09 Created: 2015-02-05 Last updated: 2015-02-09Bibliographically approved

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