TABLE 2.
Changes in prescription before and after transition to home care
| Overall | N | Before transition | 3 months after | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of medications, mean ± SD | 169 | 6.93 ± 3.73 | 6.72 ± 3.27 | 0.33* |
| MRCI‐J, mean ± SD (n = 160) | 160 | 22.40 ± 11.96 | 21.09 ± 10.70 | 0.33* |
| Section A | 4.45 ± 4.24 | 4.13 ± 2.61 | 0.27* | |
| Section B | 10.36 ± 6.05 | 9.74 ± 5.78 | 0.11* | |
| Section C | 7.59 ± 4.52 | 7.22 ± 4.25 | 0.18* | |
| PIMs (STOPP‐J) | 169 | 103 (60.9%) | 94 (55.6%) | 0.073** |
| Patients with polypharmacy | ||||
| Number of medications, mean ± SD | 129 | 8.18 ± 3.36 | 7.58 ± 3.06 | 0.024* |
| MRCI‐J, mean ± SD | 123 | 26.20 ± 10.79 | 23.65 ± 10.37 | 0.004* |
| Section A | 5.07 ± 4.47 | 4.35 ± 2.66 | 0.040* | |
| Section B | 12.24 ± 5.58 | 11.04 ± 5.76 | 0.011* | |
| Section C | 8.89 ± 4.28 | 8.26 ± 4.16 | 0.064* | |
| PIMs (STOPP‐J), n (%) | 129 | 87 (67.4) | 80 (62.0) | 0.17** |
| Patients with nonpolypharmacy | ||||
| Number of medications, mean ± SD | 40 | 2.88 ± 1.07 | 3.95 ± 2.21 | 0.001* |
| MRCI‐J, mean ± SD | 37 | 9.77 ± 4.88 | 12.58 ± 6.64 | 0.008* |
| Section A | 2.38 ± 2.43 | 3.38 ± 2.30 | 0.026* | |
| Section B | 4.12 ± 2.12 | 5.45 ± 3.22 | 0.010* | |
| Section C | 3.27 ± 1.74 | 3.76 ± 2.23 | 0.18* | |
| PIMs (STOPP‐J), n (%) | 40 | 16 (40.0) | 14 (35.0) | 0.63** |
Section A: dosage forms, Section B: dosage frequency, Section C: additional instructions.
Abbreviations: MRCI‐J, medication regimen complexity index‐Japanese version; PIMs, potentially inappropriate medications; SD, standard deviation; STOPP‐J, Screening Tool for Older Persons' appropriate Prescriptions for Japanese.
*Paired t test, ** McNemar's test.