APSA-ASCEPT-poster-abstracts-51217

400 Trends in anticoagulant use among people with dementia in Australia Jenni Ilomäki1, Amy Page1, Maarit Jaana Korhonen1, Laura Fanning1, Atte Meretoja2, Kevin P Mc Namara3, Janet K Sluggett1, J Simon Bell1 Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Monash Univ1, Parkville, VIC, Helsinki Univ Hosp, Head and Neck Center2, Helsinki, 3School of Medicine, Deakin Univ3, Warrnambool, VIC Introduction People with dementia are less likely to use anticoagulants for the prevention of thromboembolic events due to perceived increased bleeding risk It is unclear to what extent the introduction of the direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has impacted the overall prevalence of anticoagulant use Aims To investigate the trends in anticoagulant use in people with dementia in Australia between 2009 and 2016 Methods We analysed a random 10% sample of Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme individual-level dispensing data People with dementia were identified as recipients of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine and categorised according to age 65-74 years, 75-84 years and ≥85 years Results The annual number of people with dementia increased from 5,709 in 2009 to 8,937 in 2016 The overall prevalence of warfarin use increased from 3.6% to 4.7% and DOAC use from 0.04% to 7.0% The pattern of anticoagulant use was similar in sensitivity analyses excluding under copayment medications or restricting the cohort to concession card holders Age-specific trends in annual prevalence are presented in the Figure Discussion The overall prevalence of anticoagulant use in people with dementia has increased sharply since the introduction of DOACs This may mean more people with dementia receive appropriate treatment However, there is a need for further research in the benefits and risks of anticoagulant use in people with dementia 401 Mapping medication burden, prescribing and dispensing patterns within community dwelling elderly clients of community pharmacies Lauren J Corre1, Elizabeth Hotham1, Vijayaprakash Suppiah1 School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia1, Adelaide, SA, Australia Introduction The coexistence of multiple illnesses in the elderly is common, and may lead to the use of multiple medicines In turn, this can be associated with a patient visiting multiple prescribers, non-adherence and a plethora of negative consequences Currently, there is a lack of knowledge surrounding the needs of older Australians residing independently within the community Aims To quantify and describe: 1) Current patterns of medication load and presence of polypharmacy and, in particular, prevalence and variety of analgesics and any reported adverse events 2) Prescribing and dispensing patterns for medications 3) Each client’s care team, how healthcare services are coordinated and his/her understanding of their regular medications Methods Participants were recruited from three metropolitan community pharmacies in Adelaide, South Australia between June and August 2017 The study involved two stages – interviewing community dwelling older Australians and reviewing dispensing histories of those 65 years and over Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics Results Forty-five face-to-face interviews were conducted Participants were taking 7.45 medicines on average with 76% using five or more regular medicines Two hundred and twenty-three dispensing histories were collected The average number of medicines taken by each participant was 8.27 with 86% of participants taking five or more regular medicines Discussion A significant proportion of older Australians living in community dwellings were exposed to polypharmacy Themes including lack of collaboration between healthcare professionals, the need for increased communication between prescribers and a requirement for increased education about medicines for patients were highlighted ¶ APSA-ASCEPT 2017 Joint Scientific Meeting – Book of poster abstracts Page | 117 402 Use of medicines with sedative or anticholinergic properties and medicine-induced deterioration in older people: an intermediary pathway to frailty Renly Lim1, Lisa M Kalisch Ellett1, Imaina S Widagdo1, Nicole L Pratt1, Elizabeth E Roughead1 Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia Introduction Medicines with sedative or anticholinergic properties have been associated with frailty but the intermediary pathways by which they contribute to frailty are less commonly studied Aims To study the association between use of medicines with sedative or anticholinergic properties and i) medicineinduced deterioration (physical function, cognition or appetite), and ii) frailty Methods The study population consisted of persons aged ≥65 years (n=2087) enrolled in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA) Physical function was measured using hand grip strength, walking speed, chair stands, activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) Cognitive function was measured using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), while appetite was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) question 2, “I did not feel like eating; my appetite was poor” Frailty was measured using the frailty index Results Almost half of the population were using medicines with sedative or anticholinergic properties (n=954, 45.7%) After adjusting for confounders, use of medicines with sedative or anticholinergic properties was associated with slower walking speed (p