Prescribed medicines for elderly frail people with diabetes resident in nursing homes—issues of polypharmacy and medication costs

Abstract

Polypharmacy, defined as taking four or more drugs per day per resident, is highly prevalent within this population of care home residents with diabetes. A high proportion of residents are prescribed drugs for cardiovascular disease prevention, which may be entirely inappropriate in this population with limited life expectancy. Regular medication review of care home residents with diabetes should be undertaken as it has the potential to reduce costs, minimize adverse drug reactions and increase health gain.