COMPRESSIE EN CLUSTERING VAN GENEESMIDDELENGEBRUIK BIJ OUDEREN

The impact of the 'greying' of the society is considerable. Health care is especially affected by the growing proportion of elderly in the population. The occurrence and prevention of chronic diseases in the elderly will play a major part in future developments. One possible scenario describes a situation in which there will be an increase of the average life-expectancy, while the onset of chronic disease is not postponed towards the end of life. In another, more optimistic view there is a compression of morbidity in a very short period, induced by a postponement of onset of chronic disease, resulting in a longer disease-free period in life. In both scenarios a high use of drugs by the elderly is inevitable. The high incidence of concomitant chronic drug use will present physicians and pharmacists with a considerable group of patients in which medication surveillance and evaluation of pharmacotherapy will be a significant but complex task.