Prospective study of drug reporting by general practitioners for an elderly population referred to a geriatric service.
- 31 January 1987
- Vol. 294 (6567) , 289-290
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.294.6567.289
Abstract
A prospective study was carried out in which the drug history of patients which was provided by general practitioners was compared with the drugs found by geriatricians in patients' homes in 700 referrals to geriatricians. Drug compliance was not assessed. The drug history appeared to be accurate in one third of referrals. Underreporting of medication was common and increased as the number of prescribed drugs increased. Roughly one fifth of patients had at least one potential drug interaction. Keeping careful prescription records, regular review, and accurate reporting of medication should reduce drug associated morbidity in elderly patients.Keywords
This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit:
- Doctors' unawareness of the drugs their patients are taking: a major cause of overprescribing?BMJ, 1986
- Informing the hospital of patients' drug regimens.BMJ, 1986
- Prescribing habits and potential adverse drug interactions in a geriatric medical service.1982
- ADVERSE REACTIONS TO PRESCRIBED DRUGS IN THE ELDERLY: A MULTICENTRE INVESTIGATIONAge and Ageing, 1980
- Effect of Age and Sex on Human Drug MetabolismBMJ, 1971
- Intensive Hospital Monitoring of Adverse Reactions to DrugsBMJ, 1969