The Influence of Medications on Falls in Community Dwelling Elderly Sandra Spoelstra, PhD-c, MSN, RN 1; Charles Given, PhD 2; Barbara Given, PhD, RN, FAAN 1 Affiliations: Michigan State University of Nursing, 1 College of Nursing, 2 College of Human Medicine Results Mean age 79.1 years , 68.1% female, 31.6% had >1falls 73.9% Caucasian & 22.2% African American. 56.8% took 9+ medications which included: -30.0% Anti-depressants -6.7% Hypnotics -18.1% Anti-anxiety -6.1% Anti-psychotics Number of medications positively correlates to the number of falls that occur (p-value 0.33). Anti-depressants , hypnotics, and psychotics correlate with increased falls (p-value .00). Problem Statement Medication use can place older adults at risk for falls & increased health care utilization. -This study compares and contrasts elderly with & without medications to determine if certain types, or number of medications impacts falls. -The hypothesis is there is a relationship between patients with more medications or between certain types of drug classes & falls. Number of Patient Falls by Number of Medications Number of Falls Number of Patients Sample 13, 751 Community dwelling elderly age >65. Using the Minimum Data Set for Home Care admission. State of Michigan 2002-2007. Home & Community Based Waiver Medicaid Program. Conclusion As the number of medications increase, falls increase. -Elderly (76+) Caucasian Females, are likely to fall when taking >9+ medications. -Elderly patients taking anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, or hypnotics are likely to fall. Design, Methodology, & Analysis Retrospective, cross-sectional, secondary data analysis. -A multivariate regression model with Maximum Likelihood Estimates with a Wald Chi-square are used to examine interactions among the variables in order to construct the final model . This research was conducted while a Nurse Corp Fellow in the State of Michigan. Implications for Nursing Practice Nurses need to be aware that multiple medications or certain types of medications increase falls. -Nurses can identify medications that may be contraindicated or unnecessary, then collaborate with the Physician to reduce contraindicated or unnecessary medications; ultimately reducing falls and improving quality of life. Number of Medications (1 to 9+)