Older adults discharged from hospital with a new prescription for a sedative, especially a benzodiazepine or antipsychotic, are at increased risk of falls and other negative consequences, according to new research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"Our results showed that discharging older adults after an acute care hospital stay with a new prescription for these medications was associated with an increased hazard of falls requiring medical attention, further need for acute hospital care, and death in the 30 days after hospital discharge, whereas individuals with prior exposure did not experience the same increased hazards," writes Dr. Lisa Burry, clinician scientist at Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, with co-authors.
Falls are a major public health burden and affect older adults in particular. Sedatives and antipsychotics are associated with adverse events, and clinical guidance discourages prescribing these potentially inappropriate medications for older adults.
The study of more than 1.86 million adults age 66 and older aimed to understand prescribing patterns to inform future discharge prescribing. Based on ICES data, it looked at all patients discharged from hospital between April 2003 and August 2023.
