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Factors Predicting Medicine Use in Institutionalized and Non-institutionalized Elderly

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

William A. McKim ,
Michael J. Stones  and
Albert Kozma
William A. McKim
Affiliation:
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Michael J. Stones
Affiliation:
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Albert Kozma
Affiliation:
Memorial University of Newfoundland
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Abstract

In this study, a number of demographic, health, and personality measures were collected from a sample of institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly people in Newfoundland. These measures were then regressed on the number of medicines used. The analyses showed that the primary predictor of medicine use in both samples is Disease Severity, a combination of the number of different diseases or disorders and the extent of their severity. This factor accounts for about 28 to 33 per cent of the variance. No other factor predicted medicine use for institutionalized elderly, but for non-institutionalized elderly, Health Rating, how the individual perceives his or her own health, accounts for an additional 5 to 7 per cent of the variance. Disease Severity and Health Rating do not interact, but make independent, additive contributions to predicting medicine use. Disease Severity and Health Rating also predict total drug use and changes in drug use over a period of 12 to 18 months. When variance due to Disease Severity and Health Rating are accounted for, sex and age do not significantly predict medicine use.

Résumé

Pour cette étude, une quantité de données démographiques sur la santé et la personnalité ont été recueillies à partir d'échantillons de persones âgées institutionnalisées et non-institutionnalisées à Terre-Neuve. Puis ces données ont été reportées au nombre de médicaments utilisés. Dans les deux échantillons, l'analyse a démontré que l'usage de médicaments peut être prédit d'abord et avant tout en tenant compte de la gravité de la maladie (Disease Severity), une combinaison du nombre de différentes maladies ou désordres et leur gravité. Ce facteur représente entre 28 et 33 pour cent de la variance. Aucun autre facteur n'a prédit l'usage de médicaments chez les personnes âgées institutionnalisées. Cependant, chez les gens âgés non-institutionnalisés, le baromètre de la santé (Health Rating), c'est-à-dire la façon dont la personne perçoit son état de santé, représente un autre 5 à 7 pour cent de la variance. Il n'y a aucun effet de réciprocité entre la gravité de la maladie (Disease Severity) et le baromètre de la santé (Health Rating), mais ces deux facteurs contribuent indépendamment et de façon complémentaire à prédire l'usage de médicaments. Ces deux facteurs servent également à prédire l'usage total de médicaments et les changements de médications durant une période de 12 à 18 mois. Le sexe et l'âge ne représentent pas des éléments qui aident à prédire l'usage de médicaments lorsqu'on tient compte de la variance causée par la gravité de la maladie (Disease Severity) et le baromètre de la santé (Health Rating).

Keywords

MedicinesDrugsElderlyHealthAgeSex
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , Spring/printemps 1990 , pp. 23 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1990

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