Country Correspondent: Roosa Tikkanen
An annual national report on the quality of care for older adults found that the share of elders who receive multiple medications had increased from the previous year. The March 2018 report, which covers 28 care coordination indicators, found that in 2017 nearly one of three nursing home patients (32%) age 75 and older were receiving 10 or more prescription drugs, compared to one of four in 2016 (26%). However, the use of drugs deemed unsafe for elderly patients had decreased. Further, the share of patients age 65 and older with hip fractures had decreased, and the share of elders who have had end-of-life discussions with a health care professional had increased, compared to 2016.
