Categorisation of Patients' Anticholinergic Burden at Admission and Discharge from the Geriatric Ward of Sønderjylland Hospital.

Background: High anticholinergic burden is associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation, readmission, and mortality in geriatric patients. The objectives were to develop an updated anticholinergic burden scale for drugs registered in Denmark and to estimate the burden at admission and discharge for hospitalised patients at the Geriatric Ward of Sønderjylland Hospital.

Methods: The updated scale was developed through a systematic evaluation of the anticholinergic effect for all active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) listed on validated burden scales. APIs registered in 2020 and 2021 were evaluated separately for possible anticholinergic effect. The anticholinergic effect of each API was scored from 1 (low) to 3 (high). The scale was applied to medical records for patients hospitalised between October 2021 and March 2022.

Results: The scale comprised 87 APIs with anticholinergic effect. We applied the scale on 196 patients aged (median [IQR]) 84 (78-89) years. Of these patients, 75 (38.3%) had a high burden (≥3) on admission. These patients had significantly higher drug use and higher risk of 30-day readmission but no relationship with length of stay. Overall, the anticholinergic burden was unchanged at discharge for 109 (55.1%) patients.

Conclusion: An updated scale for estimation of the anticholinergic burden in geriatric patients was successfully developed, and a high burden among the admitted geriatric patients was found.