491 Anticholinergic cognitive burden score in a cohort of nursing home patients; an observational study.
Authors: Clarke K , Weedle P , Fleming A 
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Anticholinergic medications are commonly prescribed to older patients, particularly nursing home patients. Anticholinergic burden caused by these medications increases the risk of cognitive impairment, falls, delirium and increased mortality in this patient cohort. There are several published tools available to assess the impact of anticholinergic burden on patient negative outcomes (e.g. falls, cognitive impairment, hospitalisation, mortality). The Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale is a validated tool which calculates a patient’s total anticholinergic medication score, to allow an estimation of cognitive burden (1).

Aim

The aim of this study was to describe the anticholinergic cognitive burden of medications in a cohort of nursing home patients using the ACB scale.

Methods

An observational study was conducted which involved screening patients’ pharmacy dispensing records for three nursing homes. All nursing homes which the pharmacy provides services for were sent an information leaflet and invited to participate, three agreed, with Directors of Nursing and General Practitioners providing consent. Medications contributing to Anticholinergic cognitive burden were recorded in Microsoft Excel by the researcher and patients total ACB score was calculated (1). A sample of 20% of patient scores was independently checked by another researcher for accuracy. Patients’ comorbidity data and cognitive function measure (Mini Mental State Examination or Mental Test Score) was recorded from their nursing home records by the researcher. Long-term nursing home patients ≥65-years-old were eligible for inclusion. Descriptive analysis was conducted.

Results

In total, the medications of 254 patients were assessed using the ACB score (63.4% female, mean age 83.5 ±7.79 -years-old). Of these, 195/254 (76.8%) were prescribed at least one anticholinergic medication. There were 132/254 (51.9%) patients with a total ACB score of ≥3 which is clinically significant and increases the risk of negative outcomes. The three most commonly prescribed anticholinergics were quetiapine (82/254, 32.3%), olanzapine (32/254, 12.6%) and furosemide (31/254, 12.2%). Of the patients with an ACB score ≥3, 58/132 (49.9%) had dementia and 63/132 had hypertension (47.7%).

Conclusion

This study highlights the high prevalence of anticholinergic medication prescribing in an Irish nursing home population. This is high in comparison with other European and international studies where lower ACB scores in nursing home populations have been recorded (2). The study was limited as it was only conducted in three nursing homes, a larger study may identify different prescribing patterns and ACB scores. Further work in pharmacy practice to include the ACB score as part of patients’ medication reviews is recommended. Collaboration with nursing home prescribers and nurses to increase awareness of anticholinergic medication risks and review is vital. Reductions in ACB scores would reduce the risk of falls, cognitive impairment and harm to these patients.

References

1. Boustani M, Campbell N, Munger S, Maidment I, Fox C. Impact of anticholinergics on the aging brain: a review and practical application. Aging Health. 2008;4(3):311-20.

2. Oudewortel L, van der Roest HG, Onder G, Wijnen VJM, Liperoti R, Denkinger M, et al. The association of anticholinergic drugs and delirium in nursing home patients with dementia: Results From the SHELTER Study. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2021;22(10):2087-92