Medication Prescribed Within One Year Preceding Fall-Related Injuries in Ontario Older Adults

• Published in: Canadian geriatrics journal CGJ 2022-12, Vol.25 (4), p.347-367
• Main Authors: Ming, Yu, Zecevic, Aleksandra A, Booth, Richard G, Hunter, Susan W, Tirona, Rommel G, Johnson, Andrew M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Age; Ambulatory care; Antidepressants; Asthma; Baby boomers; Benzodiazepines; Brain research; Codes; Dementia; Diabetes; Diuretics; Emergency medical care; Falls; Fractures; Hypertension; Long term health care; Narcotics; Older people; Original Research; Personal health; Population; Prescription drugs; Psychotropic drugs; Tranquilizers; Traumatic brain injury
• ISSN: 1925-8348; 1925-8348
• DOI: 10.5770/cgj.25.569

Serious injuries secondary to falls are becoming more prevalent due to the worldwide ageing of societies. Several medication classes have been associated with falls and fall-related injuries. The purpose of this study was to describe medication classes and the number of medication classes prescribed to older adults prior to the fall-related injury. This population-based descriptive study used secondary administrative health-care data in Ontario, Canada for 2010-2014. Descriptive statistics were reported for Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical 4 level medication classes. Frequency of medications prescribed to older adults was calculated on different sex, age groups, types of medications, and injures. Over five years (2010-2014), 288,251 older adults (63.2% females) were admitted to an emergency department for a fall-related injury (40.0% fractures, 12.1% brain injury). In the year before the injury, 48.5% were prescribed statins, 27.2% antidepressants, 25.0% opioids, and 16.6% anxiolytics. Females were prescribed more diuretics, antidepressants, and anxiolytics than males; and people aged 85 years and older had a higher percentage of diuretics, antidepressants, and antipsychotics. There were 36.4% of older adults prescribed 5-9 different medication classes and 41.2% were prescribed 10 or more medication classes. Older adults experiencing fall-related injuries were prescribed more opioids, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants than previously reported for the general population of older adults in Ontario. Higher percentage of females and more 85+ older adults were prescribed with psychotropic drugs, and they were also found to be at higher risk of fall-related injuries. Further associations between medications and fall-related injuries need to be explored in well-defined cohort studies.