Table 2. PCERS patients characteristics segregated by residential status.

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.