Kronoberg Jämtland Sörmland Norrbotten Kalmar Blekinge Västerbotten Uppsala Halland Gotland Jönköping Västernorrland Västra Götaland Östergötland SWEDEN Dalarna Gävleborg Stockholm Västmanland Örebro Skåne Värmland
Percent of patients: ApoDos 2.02 2.12 1.94 1.73 2.44 2.65 2.31 2.98 2.88 2.15 2.89 3.19 2.95 2.97 2.90 3.12 2.97 3.15 3.51 2.98 3.12 3.81
1.28 1.36 1.38 1.68 1.73 1.79 1.84 1.85 1.93 1.95 2.02 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.11 2.11 2.16 2.24 2.30 2.37 2.54 0
1 ApoDos service
Figure 12
2 Prescription
3
4 2010
Presc. 1.09 1.23 1.35 1.80 1.70 1.70 1.81 1.54 1.78 2.09 1.93 1.87 1.92 1.96 2.00 1.98 2.03 2.17 2.05 2.32 2.43 2.40 5 Percent
Percentage of people age 80 and older who were using drugs that pose the risk of Class D drug-drug interactions, 31 December 2011. Source: Prescribed Drug Register, National Board of Health and Welfare
13 Elderly Consuming Drugs that Should Be Avoided Certain drugs pose a significant risk of adverse effects in the elderly and should therefore be avoided. They are included in preparations that should be avoided in the absence of special indications, which is one of the National Board of Health and Welfare indicators for good drug therapy in the elderly. The indicator covers benzodiazepines with long half-lives, drugs with significant anticholinergic effects, tramadol (an analgesic), and propiomazine (a soporific). Figure 13 presents the percentage of elderly who were consuming at least one of these drugs on 31 December 2011. The bars are broken down between patients who received their medication through the ApoDos service or at the prescription counter: 12.5 per cent of women and 9.5 per cent of men, or almost 57 000 people. The variations between counties were relatively large: 10.4 per cent in Sörmland to 15.3 per cent in Blekinge for women, as well as 7.4 per cent in Sörmland to 11.2 per cent in Jönköping and Blekinge for men. Both women (13.1 per cent) and men (10.0 per cent) were somewhat more likely to consume unsuitable drugs the year before. A total of 17.0 per cent of ApoDos patients fell into this group, as opposed to 10.8 per cent of patients who picked up their medications at the prescription counter.
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