Injuries in adults 65 years of age and older prescribed muscle relaxants

OBJECTIVE: The Beers criteria list skeletal muscle relaxants (SMR) as inappropriate for individuals 65 years of age and older because of anticholinergic effects, sedation, and risk of falls/fractures. Patients 65 years of age and older presenting to U.S. primary care clinics for injury, prescribed an SMR, are at risk for these events. SMR prescribing patterns in older adults with injury have not been well studied at the population level. Using nationally representative data, the prevalence of older adults prescribed an SMR presenting to U.S. primary care clinics with injury was examined. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study analyzing 2012 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) data using bivariate and multivariate techniques. NAMCS, a nationally representative database of the U.S. population, collects data from primary care office visits and uses a multi-stage sampling strategy. SETTING: Primary care offices throughout the United States. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Adults 65 years of age and older, presenting to rural primary care clinics with injury. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Prescription for SMR. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis yielded that the study population presenting to rural clinics for injury had 28% greater odds, non-Caucasian adults had 11% greater odds, and those who had been seen at least twice in the past 12 months had 34% greater odds of being prescribed an SMR. Logistic regression analysis also yielded that females 65 to 74 years of age had greater odds of having a prescription for an SMR. CONCLUSION: The results of this study identified disparities among adults 65 years of age and older presenting to U.S. rural primary care clinics with injury and prescribed an SMR.