A new study suggests that polypharmacy and the use of psychotropic medications such as antidepressants and benzodiazepines are predictors of falls in UK care home residents. The findings were published in the journal European Geriatric Medicine.
In a prospective cohort study of residents (n=1655) across 84 care homes in the UK, medication and other data were collected at baseline and the residents were monitored over three months for the occurrence of falls.
Independent risk factors for falls identified in care home residents were the total number of regular drugs prescribed (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.058; P<.001) and the use of one or more regular psychotropic medications (aOR, 1.392; P=.006). Among the users of psychotropic drugs, the risk of falls was significant in those taking antidepressants (P<.01) and benzodiazepines (P<.01), but not in those taking antipsychotics (P>.05).
According to the authors, these findings emphasise judicious deprescribing for care home residents. They recommend using antidepressants and benzodiazepines only when absolutely indicated and tapering them to cessation as early as possible. "Providing adequate training and staffing levels to support non-pharmacological approaches to both depression and behavioural symptoms in care homes seems the most rational approach," they added.
