Characteristics and the determinants of high volume dispensing in long-term oral nutritional supplement users in primary care.

Median age was 76 (range 18-101) years, with 66.9% of the sample being ≥65 years. Almost 70% of our sample was on polypharmacy (45.6%;≥5 medications) or excessive polypharmacy (21.5%;≥10 medications). Younger age and being on polypharmacy for drugs having an effect on the central nervous system (CNS) were significantly associated with being dispensed more ONS units in univariate and multivariate analysis. Those patients in the age range 18-44 were 2.5 fold more likely to be prescribed more ONS units (OR 2.5; 95% CI 1.5-4.25;<0.001). Patients using CNS drugs or on CNS polypharmacy were more likely to be prescribed more ONS units (ORs 1.24 and 2.35; 95% CI 0.86-1.41 and 1.25-4.41 respectively; =0.029) CONCLUSION: Older age and polypharmacy characterise long-term ONS users in this study. Younger age and CNS medication polypharmacy are predictors of more ONS units prescribed over a year