1. Osteoporosis prescribing in long-term care: impact of a provincial knowledge translation strategy.
- Author
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Kennedy CC, Ioannidis G, Thabane L, Adachi JD, O'Donnell D, Giangregorio LM, Pickard LE, and Papaioannou A
- Subjects
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Calcium therapeutic use, Cohort Studies, Female, Humans, Linear Models, Long-Term Care, Male, Multivariate Analysis, Ontario, Vitamin D therapeutic use, Bone Density Conservation Agents therapeutic use, Health Policy, Nursing Homes, Osteoporosis drug therapy, Osteoporotic Fractures prevention & control, Practice Patterns, Physicians', Translational Research, Biomedical
- Abstract
This study described prescribing trends before and after implementing a provincial strategy aimed at improving osteoporosis and fracture prevention in Ontario long-term care (LTC) homes. Data were obtained from a pharmacy provider for 10 LTC homes in 2007 and 166 homes in 2012. We used weighted, multiple linear regression analyses to examine facility-level changes in vitamin D, calcium, and osteoporosis medication prescribing rates between 2007 and 2012. After five years, the estimated increase in vitamin D, calcium, and osteoporosis medication prescribing rates, respectively, was 38.2 per cent (95% confidence interval [CI]: 29.0, 47.3; p < .001), 4.0 per cent (95% CI: -3.9, 12.0; p = .318), and 0.2 per cent (95% CI: -3.3, 3.7; p = .91). Although the study could not assess causality, findings suggest that wide-scale knowledge translation activities successfully improved vitamin D prescribing rates, although ongoing efforts are needed to target homes with low uptake.
- Published
- 2015
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