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Nowdays the number of geriatric patients increase, as the result of becoming longer in the average lifespan of people. This survey was conducted to get informations for teaching and counseling geriatric patients through evaluating the present trend of disease and it¢¥s drug therapies. 2,629 prescriptions(9.5£¥), among the total 27,764 prescriptions issued for ambulatory patients from June 1st through June 30th, 1988, were for that of patients who are 65years of age of older. We classified the sex, age and diseases of the patient, the prescribing department, kinds of prescribed drugs, prescribing frequency, dosage forms and the administration period through these 2,629 prescriptions. The result of survey showed that there was no difference in the sex distribution and, the corresponding percentages of age distribution in geriatric patients were 53.6£¥ and 41.9£¥ in 60¢¥s age and 70¢¥s age, respectively. The breakdown of the patients by the prescribing department listed the internal medicine (62.0£¥), neurology(9.5£¥), and ophthalmology(8.9£¥) in descending order. Percentages of each diseases were 28.9£¥, 15.2£¥ and for circulatory disease, gastro-intestinal diseaes and neurology and sensory diseases. In detail, hypertension was 13.9£¥, eye disease was 8.7£¥. Is for the drugs prescribed, 365 kinds of almost all of the therapeutic categories were administered. Drugs acting on the gastro-intestinal system were most frequently used, and followed by those acting on the circulatory system and those acting on the central nervous system. ¢¥Tablet or capsules only¢¥ were most frequent pharmaceutical dosage form as 63.6£¥ in total dosage form, whereas tablets/capsules with powders were only 10.8£¥. The most frequent prescribed days was 28 days which was 59.4£¥ of total prescriptions. The above results showed that geriatric patients whose overall functions are deteriorated take the drug for long time on a variety of chronic disease. Therefore it is essential to select drugs which is easy to take and which has minimal adverse reactions. Also teaching and counseling geriatric patients is necessary.
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