| Characteristic | Median or % | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living in privatenursing home | Living independently | ||
| Ag e, years ( n = 912) | 87 (58 to 101) | 71 (18 to 100) | P<0.001 |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 11.3 | 88.7 | |
| Female | 23.7 | 76.3 | P<0.001 |
| Area ( n = 912) | |||
| South/south east Dublin | 17.4 | 15.7 | |
| West/south west Dublin | 47.3 | 40.1 | |
| North/north west Dublin | 35.3 | 44.2 | P=0.110 |
| Number of ONS units in 2018 ( n = 912 ) | 600 (30 to 3192) | 672 (12 to 3250) | P=0.540 |
| Patients on more than 1 ONS, n = 912 | 18.6 | 8.2 | P<0.001 |
| Patients on ONS previous year | 92.8 | 96.9 | P=0.023 |
| Number of medications | 7 (0 to 18) | 6 (0 to 18) | P=0.021 |
| Polypharmacy | |||
| No polypharmacy (<5 drugs) | 21.0 | 35.6 | |
| Polypharmacy (≥5 drugs) | 55.7 | 43.4 | |
| Excessive polypharmacy (≥10) | 23.4 | 21.1 | P=0.001 |
| Patient CNS drug dispensed a | |||
| No CNS drug | 17.4 | 26.4 | |
| CNS drug (<5 drugs) | 74.3 | 64.0 | |
| CNS polypharmacy or excessive polypharmacy (≥5 drugs) | 8.4 | 9.5 | P=0.032 |
| Patient c irculatory drug dispensed b | |||
| No circulatory drug | 33.5 | 39.5 | |
| Circulatory drug (<5 drugs) | 51.5 | 40.7 | |
| Circulatory drug polypharmacy or excessive polypharmacy (≥5 drugs) | 15.0 | 19.9 | P=0.035 |
aCNS medication include drugs to treat anxiety; Insomnia; psychoses; mood disorders; obsessive compulsive disorder; nausea; vomiting; vertigo; epilepsy and seizures; Parkinson's; Alzheimer's; multiple sclerosis; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and narcolepsy. bCirculatory medication include drugs to treat hypertension; oedema; heart failure; arrhythmias; angina; prevent myocardial infarction, stroke, and vascular events; hypercholesterolaemia; vascular diseases such as Raynaud's and pulmonary arterial hypertension; haemorrhage; anaemia and neutropenia.
CNS = central nervous system. ONS = oral nutritional supplements. PCERS = Primary Care and Eligibility Reimbursement Service.