Prescription drug claims following a traumatic spinal cord injury for older adults: a retrospective population-based study in Ontario, Canada

Study Design — Retrospective cohort study.

Objectives — The objectives for this study were to examine the prevalence of polypharmacy for people with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) following injury and to determine risk factors.

Setting — Ontario, Canada.

Methods — We used provincial-level administrative health services data of publicly funded healthcare encounters housed at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario. We examined prescription medications dispensed over a 1 year period post injury for persons 66+ years with an index traumatic SCI between 2004 and 2014. Polypharmacy was defined as being on 10 or more drug classes. Descriptive and analytical statistics were conducted. Relative risks and 95% confidence limits for factors related to polypharmacy were calculated using a robust Poisson multivariate regression model.

Results — We identified 418 cases of persons with traumatic SCI during the observation window. A total of 233 patients (56%) were taking at least 10 drug classes in the year following discharge from care for traumatic SCI. The mean number of drug classes taken post injury was 11 (SD = 6). Continuity of care was significantly associated with polypharmacy, with a higher continuity of care (having at least 75% of visits with the same doctor) reducing the risk of polypharmacy. The most common drugs prescribed were laxatives, opioids and cardiovascular-related drugs.

Conclusion — Findings suggest that polypharmacy is extensive among older adults with traumatic SCI. Persons with better continuity of care are less likely to have polypharmacy compared to those with less continuity.