Constipation and Laxative Use among Nursing Home Patients: Prevalence and Associations Derived from the Residents Assessment Instrument for Long-Term Care Facilities (interRAI LTCF)
Table 3
Use of laxatives among patients, .
Laxative type
Patients using laxatives, (%)
Use of laxatives as prescribed in the patients record
Laxatives regularly1 and on demand1
187 (71.7)
Laxatives regularly only
175 (67.1)
(i) Stimulant laxative (A06A B)2
87 (33.3)
(ii) Osmotic laxatives (A06A D)
143 (54.8)
(iii) Softening laxatives (A06A A)
1 (0.4)
(iv) Microenema (A06AG02 or A06AG11)
4 (1.5)
(v) Bulk laxatives (A06A C)
0 (0)
(vi) Oil enema (A06AG04)
0 (0)
(vii) Minienema (A06AG10)
0 (0)
Use of enemas as reported by nurses
(i) Microenema (A06AG02 or A06AG11)
78 (30.0)
(ii) Oil enema (A06AG04)
10 (3.9)
(iii) Minienema (A06AG10)
6 (2.3)
Number of laxatives per patient3
0
76 (29.1)
1
88 (33.7)
2
58 (22.2)
3
35 (13.4)
4
4 (1.5)
Regular use and on demand as prescribed in the patient record. 2Laxatives are grouped according to the Anatomical-Therapeutic-Chemical Classification System (ATC). 3Reported as regular use in the patient record together with the use of microenemas, oil enemas, and minienemas as reported by nurses.