Prescription drug use by the elderly population of British Columbia
Date
1986
Authors
Tuominen, Jean Dell
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Abstract
The theory of ageism posits that the elderly members of society are discriminated against and treated as deviants. In response to ageism , social control is applied through the medical profession. An elderly person is brought into more frequent contact with physicians as chronic illnesses and diseases develop and increase. By seeking treatment for these health problems, the older individual may experience medical mistreatment, including the overprescription of drugs.
The purpose of this study was to investigate and establish the levels of use of prescription drugs by the population of B.C. aged 65 and older . Using B.C . Pharmacare data for 1984, the cost and number of prescriptions were analysed, comparing consumption by the community-based elderly with that of the elderly in nursing homes. Both populations were found to receive a high number of prescriptions per person , particularly in the Central Nervous System therapeutic class. Nursing home elderly, when compared to community- based elderly, received approximately 300 per cent more prescriptions per person, with a difference ranging from +100 per cent (for Anti - infectives) to +1,086 per cent (for Gastrointestinal agents) and +l,291 per cent (for Vitamins). In the area of prescriptions for Central Nervous System drugs, nursing home patients received 354 per cent more prescriptions than community-based elderly . This includes 499 per cent more milligrams per person for selected C. N. S . drug families . Nursing home patients also received 4,424 per cent more milligrams of tranquilizers per person than the community-based elderly.
The results indicate the need for further study into the prescription of drugs for the elderly, but particularly those in nursing homes.