Use of Medications of Questionable Benefit During the Last Year of Life of Older Adults With Dementia

Abstract Objectives To investigate the prevalence and factors associated with the use of medications of questionable benefit throughout the final year of life of older adults who died with dementia. Design Register-based, longitudinal cohort study. Setting Entire Sweden. Participants All older adults (≥75 years) who died with dementia between 2007 and 2013 (n = 120,067). Measurements Exposure to medications of questionable benefit was calculated for each of the last 12 months before death, based on longitudinal data from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Results The proportion of older adults with dementia who received at least 1 medication of questionable benefit decreased from 38.6% 12 months before death to 34.7% during the final month before death ( P