Objective. To describe an innovative team intervention to identify and resolve DRPs (drug-related problems) in Norwegian nursing homes. Design. Descriptive intervention study. Setting. Three nursing homes in Bergen, Norway. Subjects. A total of 142 long-term care patients (106 women, mean age 86.9 years). Results. Systematic medication reviews performed by pharmacists in 142 patients revealed altogether 719 DRPs, of which 504 were acknowledged by the patients ' physician and nurses, and 476 interventions were completed. " Unnecessary drug " and " Monitoring required " were the most frequently identifi ed DRPs. Drugs for treating the nervous system and the alimentary tract and metabolism were most commonly questioned. Conclusions. The multidisciplinary team intervention was suitable to identify and resolve drug-related problems in nursing home settings. Systematic medication reviews and involvement of pharmacists in clinical teams should therefore be implemented on a regular basis to achieve and maintain high-quality drug therapy.

BackgroundAntibiotic resistance is a global health threat. Public knowledge is considered a prerequisite for appropriate use of antibiotics and limited spread of antibiotic resistance. Our aim was to examine the level of knowledge of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance among Norwegian pharmacy customers, and to assess to which degree beliefs, attitudes and sociodemographic factors are associated with this knowledge.MethodsA questionnaire based, cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacy customers in three Norwegian cities. The questionnaire covered 1) knowledge of antibiotics (13 statements) and antibiotic resistance (10 statements), 2) the general beliefs about medicines questionnaire (BMQ general) (three subdomains, four statements each), 3) attitudes toward antibiotic use (four statements), and 4) sociodemographic factors, life style and health. High knowledge level was defined as > 66% of maximum score. Factors associated with knowledge of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance were investigated through univariate and multiple linear regression. Hierarchical model regression was used to estimate a population average knowledge score weighted for age, gender and level of education.ResultsAmong 877 participants, 57% had high knowledge of antibiotics in general and 71% had high knowledge of antibiotic resistance. More than 90% knew that bacteria can become resistant against antibiotics and that unnecessary use of antibiotics can make them less effective. Simultaneously, more than 30% erroneously stated that antibiotics are effective against viruses, colds or influenza. Factors positively associated with antibiotic knowledge were health professional background, high education level, and a positive view on the value of medications in general. Male gender, a less restrictive attitude toward antibiotic use, and young age were negatively associated with antibiotic knowledge. The mean overall antibiotic knowledge score was relatively high (15.6 out of maximum 23 with estimated weighted population score at 14.8).ConclusionsDespite a high level of knowledge of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance among Norwegian pharmacy customers, there are obvious knowledge gaps. We suggest that action is taken to increase the knowledge level, and particularly target people in vocational, male dominated occupations outside the health service, and primary/secondary school curricula.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-6409-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prescribing of psychotropic drugs in nursing homes has increased considerably, especially regarding antidepressants. Explanations for this trend need to be further explored.

Sammendrag:Purpose: to examine and compare the quality of drug prescribing for older patients in nursing homes and home nursing services. Methods: Cross-sectional study comprising 11 254 patients aged ≥65 years in nursing homes (n = 2986) and home nursing services (n = 8268). Potentially inappropriate medications were identified by using the Norwegian General Practice criteria and drug-drug interactions through a Norwegian Web-based tool. The impact of care setting on exposure to selected drug groups, potentially inappropriate medications, and drug interactions was calculated, adjusting for patients' age, gender, and number of drugs used. Results: patients in nursing homes and home nursing services used on average 5.7 (SD = 2.6) multidose dispensed regular drugs. 26% used at least one potentially inappropriate medication, 31% in nursing homes and 25% in home nursing services, p<.001. Concomitant use of three or more psychotropic and/or opioid drugs was the criterion most commonly identified in nursing homes (18%) and home nursing services (9%), p<.001. Compared with nursing homes, more patients in home nursing services used cardiovascular drugs and fewer patients used psychotropic drugs. Altogether, 8615 drugdrug interactions were identified in 55% of patients, 48% in nursing homes and 57% in home nursing services, p<.001. Conclusions: there are significant differences in the quality of drug prescribing in nursing homes compared with home nursing services. Explanations as to why these differences exist need to be further explored.Omsorgsbiblioteket har ikke tilgang til å publisere dette dokumentet i fulltekst. Kanskje ditt lokale bibliotek kan hjelpe deg, eller kanskje du kommer videre med lenken nedenfor.

Although several PIMs were less commonly prescribed in recent years, increased overall use of PIMs may suggests worsening of prescribing quality for nursing home patients in Norway. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.