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Cost of Pharmacological Care of the Elderly

Implications for Healthcare Resources

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Abstract

Expenditures on prescribed medicines are significantly higher among those aged 65 years and over than among younger people. As populations in developed countries age so the cost of pharmacological care associated with the older population can be expected to increase. While pharmacological care represents only one component of healthcare, its costs are increasing rapidly because of advances in technology and increasing use. However, such costs should be considered within a context of decreasing disability in the elderly population, improving economic conditions among seniors and the relationship of these costs with those in other aspects of healthcare. Where medications have been demonstrated to be cost-effective, attempts to curtail expenditure growth may prove a false economy resulting in significantly higher growth elsewhere such as in the hospital and long-term care sectors. Policy responses to this issue should encompass the inclusion of elderly patients in clinical trials, the use of evidence-based principles of practice and strategies to ensure that this population obtain maximum benefit from medication through education and counselling.

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Acknowledgements

Dr O’Neill was supported during preparation of this manuscript by a Harkness Fellowship Grant from the Commonwealth Fund.

Dr Hughes was supported during the preparation of this manuscript by a National Primary Care Career Scientist Award from the Research and Development Office, Northern Ireland. The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Policy Studies, University of Ulster Jordanstown, Room 03A14, Shore Road, Newtownabbey, BT37 0QB, Northern Ireland, UK

    Ciaran O’Neill

  2. School of Pharmacy, Clinical and Practice Research Group, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

    Carmel M. Hughes & Anna Schweizer

  3. Centre for Social Research, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

    James Jamison

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  1. Ciaran O’Neill
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  2. Carmel M. Hughes
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Correspondence to Ciaran O’Neill.

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O’Neill, C., Hughes, C.M., Jamison, J. et al. Cost of Pharmacological Care of the Elderly. Drugs Aging 20, 253–261 (2003). https://doi.org/10.2165/00002512-200320040-00002

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