Pharmacist intervention is associated with fewer serious falls over 3 months among older fallers at a day hospital: A quasi-experimental study.

OBJECTIVES: Some drugs increase the risk of falls, including serious falls. The objective of this quasi-experimental study was to determine whether the intervention of a clinical pharmacist among older outpatients receiving a multifactorial fall prevention program at a geriatric day hospital dedicated to older patients with a recent history of falls was effective in preventing serious falls over a 3-month follow-up, compared with usual care. STUDY DESIGN: Quasi-experimental study in 296 consecutive older outpatients, including 85 with pharmacist intervention (the intervention group) and 148 without (the control group). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome was the occurrence of at least one serious fall within 3 months of follow-up. Covariates included age, sex, body mass index, grip strength, history of falls, Mini-Mental State Examination score, use of ≥3 drugs associated with risk of falls, frailty, and disability. RESULTS: Fewer participants in the intervention group experienced at least one serious fall than in the control group (5 (5.9 %) versus 23 (15.5 %), P = 0.029), which persisted after adjustment for potential confounding factors (OR = 0.30 [95CI:0.11-0.84], P = 0.022). No significant effect was found on the indicence of all falls. Pharmacist intervention allowed more frequent therapeutic optimizations of antithrombotics (OR = 3.69 [95CI: 1.66-8.20]), proton pump inhibitors (OR = 3.34 [95CI: 1.31-8.50]), benzodiazepines (OR = 3.15 [95CI: 1.06-9.36]) and antidepressants (OR = 3.87 [95CI: 1.21-12.35]). CONCLUSIONS: Among older fallers receiving a multifactorial fall prevention program at a day hospital, a clinical pharmacist intervention was associated with fewer incident serious falls over 3 months of follow-up.

Therapeutic advice issued by a geriatric mobile team and 3-year mortality in older inpatients.

Our objective was to determine whether the provision of therapeutic advice (i.e., any recommendation for an increase or decrease in drug dosage, or for the addition, withdrawal or replacement of at least one drug) by hospital geriatric mobile teams (GMTs) was associated with long-term mortality among older inpatients. Data on therapeutic advice provided by the GMT of Angers University Hospital, France, were collected from 694 consecutive inpatients examined in 2012 (mean age 84.4 ± 6.3 years; 65.6% female), who were followed up after 3 years. We found no between-group differences regarding the 3-year mortality (P = 0.30) and no cumulative survival difference (log-rank P = 0.43). The provision of therapeutic advice by a GMT was not associated with better 3-year survival (HR = 1.18, P = 0.40) in these frail inpatients.