The effect of educational intervention on use of psychotropics in defined daily doses and related costs – a randomized controlled trial

Figures & data

Table 1. Baseline characteristics of participants.

	Intervention group (N = 118)	Control group (N = 109)	p-value
Females, n (%)	77 (65.3)	84 (77.1)	.050
Mean age, years (SD)	82.9 (7.5)	83.5 (6.9)	.41
MNA, n (%)
<17, malnourished	19 (16.1)	25 (22.9)	.31
17–23.5, at risk for malnutrition	74 (62.7)	67 (61.5)
>23.5, well-nourished	25 (21.2)	17 (15.6)
CCI, mean (SD)	3.2 (2.0)	2.5 (1.8)	.004
MMSE, mean (SD)	8.8 (8.2)	10.0 (8.2)	.25
Number of drugs used regularly, mean (SD)	7.5 (2.8)	7.8 (3.1)	.79
Proportion using harmful medications*, %	83.1	71.6	.038
Mean number of harmful medications* (SD)	2.9 (1.8)	2.5 (1.7)	.28
Mean number of psychotropics (SD)	1.13 (.99)	1.34 (.99)	.11
Proportion using ≥1 psychotropic medications, %	69.0	79.8	.075
Proportion using >2 psychotropic medications, %	33.9	34.9	.30
Psychotropic rDDD, mean (SE)	0.71 (0.07)	0.80 (0.07)	.34
Proportion using ≥1 antipsychotics, %	40.7	46.8	.35
Antipsychotic rDDD, mean (SE)	0.17 (0.04)	0.19 (0.04)	.81
Proportion using ≥1 antidepressants, %	47.5	52.3	.47
Antidepressant rDDD, mean (SE)	0.45 (0.05)	0.43 (0.05)	.82
Proportion using ≥1 anxiolytics, %	9.3	15.6	.15
Anxiolytic rDDD, mean (SE)	0.03 (0.01)	0.06 (0.01)	.17
Proportion using ≥1 hypnotics, %	5.1	11.0	.10
Hypnotic rDDD, mean (SE)	0.05 (0.02)	0.12 (0.03)	.10
Mean annual cost of psychotropics (€) ** (95 % CI)	136 (108–166)	179 (139–230)	.13

MNA, Mini-Nutritional Assessment [22]; CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index [20]; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination [21]; rDDD, relative proportion of defined daily dose; SD, standard deviation; SE, standard error; CI, confidence interval.

*Harmful medications were any of the following: Beers Criteria medications, anticholinergic medications, use of multiple psychotropic medications, NSAIDs, and PPIs. See Pitkälä et al. [15].

**Annual costs, retail price in 2019 euros.

Figure 1. (A) Change in the relative proportions of DDDs (rDDDs) for all psychotropics. (B) Change in rDDDs in psychotropics analyzed by various subgroups. Adjusted for sex, age, and Charlson comorbidity index.

Figure 2. Change in annual cost (in Euros) of psychotropics. Adjusted for sex, age, and Charlson comorbidity index.

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