The combination of PIMs and polypharmacy might increase the risk of falls, therefore clinicians need to pay attention to both PIMs and polypharmacy. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 1064-1070.

BackgroundThe use of dietary supplements and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs is increasing, and there is adequate concern about potential harmful effects. However, there are limited reports on the concurrent use of nonprescription medications with prescription medications in elderly patients. Therefore, this study was conducted to describe the use of dietary supplements and OTC drugs, and to identify predictors for their use in elderly patients using medications prescribed for chronic diseases.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 729 patients aged ≥65 years with chronic diseases, between January and March 2016. Data regarding socio-demographic status, medical condition, number of prescriptions, use of nonprescription medications, and psychological status were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and by review of medical records. Data regarding use of dietary supplements and OTC drugs were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Logistic regression analysis was applied to investigate factors associated with the use of dietary supplements and OTC drugs.ResultsThe regular use of nonprescription drugs was reported by 32.5% of patients. Vitamins were the most commonly used dietary supplements in elderly patients. Female sex, higher educational qualifications, and good economic status were identified as predictors for the use of nonprescription medications. Concurrent use of nonprescription medications with more than 5 prescription medications was detected in 12.2% of participants. The disclosure rate of the use of nonprescription medications by patients to the physician was 30.3%.ConclusionThe use of dietary supplements and OTC drugs was common in elderly patients with chronic diseases, and its use is associated with sex, education, and economic status. General practitioners (GPs) need to recognize the potential use of nonprescription medications, considering that polypharmacy was common and disclosure rate was low in this study.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12875-017-0699-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Aim: To assess factors associated with home deaths in non-cancer elderly patients receiving home medical care by general practitioners.Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out in a primary care clinic in Tokyo. Patients who received home medical care and died between January 2010 and September 2017 were included in the analysis. Data from 119 non-cancer patients aged ≥65 years were collected between September and December 2017 using medical records. Patient characteristics, comorbidities, cognitive impairment, duration of home medical care, number of household members, patient's relationship with their primary caregiver, use of home care nursing services, and patient and family preference on place of death were obtained as independent variables. The main outcome was the place of death.Results: Among the analyzed patients, 59.7% had impaired cognition and 47.1% expressed a preference for place of death. Patient-family congruence on the preferred place of death was 57.1% (kappa coefficient 0.39). Multivariate analysis showed that family preference for home death (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 137.0, 95% CI 13.0-1443.8), cognitive impairment (aOR 4.26, 95% CI 1.12-16.2), death by non-infectious diseases (aOR 13.7, 95% CI 2.50-74.7) and living with more than two family members (aOR 4.79, 95%CI 1.38-16.7) were significantly associated with home deaths.Conclusions: Family preference, rather than patient preference, was a facilitating factor for home death among non-cancer older patients receiving home medical care. As many patients receiving home medical care have impaired cognition, early end-of-life discussions with patients and decision-making support for caregivers should be promoted to realize their preferences on place of death.

PIMs among older patients are common in Japanese primary care settings, and prescription of benzodiazepines or hypnotic Z-drugs and proton pump inhibitors was frequent as PIMs. PIMs might be associated with anxiety; therefore, their association should be focused on and addressed to reduce PIMs. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2520-2526.