Status report of analgesic prescriptions by general practitioners in elderly people aged 75 and over, upon admission in geriatric medicine

Objective. The main objective of this study is to describe the current therapeutic strategy for pain in elderly patients, by general practitioners. Methods. In this prospective study, 149 patients aged 75 years and over, hospitalized in geriatric medicine at the University Hospital of Caen, were recruited between June and September 2015. All analgesic data was recorded from the patients' prescriptions and medical files. Results. 66% of the patients had at least one analgesic. More than 96% of patients who took analgesics were treated with a step 1 analgesic (mainly paracetamol), and approximately 30% received a step 2 analgesic (69% tramadol). Only 8% received step 3 analgesics. The proportion of patients treated with an antiepileptic was higher in cases of neuropathic pain. Adjuvant drugs were prescribed 17.3% on doctor's orders. Pain was mainly of a mechanical nature, due to osteoarthritis. Conclusion. The results of the study exhibit a well-balanced therapeutic management of pain by general practitioners for ambulatory elderly patients in agreement with the guidelines.