Table 3 Most common schedule prescribed drug subgroup at admission and the day of death
From: Prescription trends at the end of life in a palliative care unit: observational study
ATC code | Drug subgroup | Scheduled prescription | p-valuea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
T0 | T1 | |||
n (%) | n (%) | |||
N02A | Opioid analgesics | 84 (73.0) | 95 (82.6) | 0.013b |
A02B | Drugs for peptic ulcer and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease | 77 (67.0) | 25 (21.7) | < 0.001b |
A06A | Drugs for constipation | 64 (55.7) | 29 (25.2) | < 0.001b |
N06A | Antidepressants | 48 (41.7) | 21 (18.3) | < 0.001b |
H02A | Corticosteroids for systemic use, plain | 46 (40.0) | 52 (45.2) | 0.392 |
N03A | Antiepileptics | 43 (37.4) | 18 (15.7) | < 0.001b |
N05A | Antipsychotics | 41 (35.7) | 34 (29.6) | 0.265 |
B01A | Antithrombotic agents | 41 (35.7) | 11 (9.6) | < 0.001b |
N05B | Anxiolytics | 34 (29.6) | 14 (12.2) | < 0.001b |
A03F | Propulsives | 38 (33.0) | 22 (19.1) | 0.017 b |
C03C | High-ceiling diuretics | 29 (25.2) | 23 (20.0) | 0.307 |
N05C | Hypnotics | 21 (18.3) | 35 (30.4) | 0.016 b |
C07A | Beta blocking agents | 17 (14.8) | 7 (6.1) | 0.006 b |
A03B | Belladonna and derivatives, plain | 15 (13.0) | 60 (52.2) | < 0.001b |
C09A | Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, plain | 7 (6.1) | 1 (0.9) | 0.031 b |
A10A | Insulins and analogues | 6 (5.2) | 5 (4.3) | 1.000 |
C03D | Potassium-sparing agents | 6 (5.2) | 4 (3.5) | 0.727 |
C10A | Lipid modifying agentes, plain | 6 (5.2) | 1 (0.9) | 0.063 |
A10B | Blood glucose lowering drugs, excl. Insulins | 5 (4.3) | 2 (1.7) | 0.250 |
C09C | Angiotensin II receptor blockers, plain | 4 (3.5) | 0 | – |
C08C | Selective calcium channel blockers with mainly vascular effects | 3 (2,6) | 1 (0,9) | 0,625 |
C08D | Selective calcium channel blockers with direct cardiac effects | 2 (1.7) | 0 | – |
C02A | Antiadrenergic agentes, centrally acting | 1 (0.9) | 0 | – |
C03B | Low-ceiling diuretics, excl. Thiazides | 1 (0.9) | 1 (0.9) | 1.000 |