Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Medications are commonly used by older adults and provide many benefits, although harmful side effects may also occur, particularly when multiple medications are used at the same time. A potentially severe adverse effect is prolongation of the corrected QT interval (QTc), a disturbance in heart function that can lead to changes in heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmias) and can result in death. More than one hundred medications have been linked to QTc prolongation; however, how often they are prescribed to older adults in combination is unknown, as are the precise effects of these medications on patients. The aim of this study is to identify how frequently multiple medications associated with QTc prolongation are prescribed to older adults in Ontario and investigate associations between these medications and outcomes such as cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death. This project will increase knowledge of the extent of the prescription of multiple QTc prolonging medications in Ontario as well as potential adverse effects of these medications, allowing treatment strategies that minimize risks to older adults to be developed.