RESUMO
The demand for long-term care is expected to increase due to the rising life expectancy and the increased prevalence of long-term illnesses. Nursing home residents are at an increased risk of suffering adverse drug events due to inadequate prescriptions. The main objective of this systematic review is to collect and analyze the prevalence of potentially inadequate prescriptions based on the new version of STOPP/START criteria in this specific population. Databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane) were searched for inappropriate prescription use in nursing homes according to the second version of STOPP/START criteria. The risk of bias was assessed with the STROBE checklist. A total of 35 articles were assessed for eligibility. One hundred and forty nursing homes and more than 6900 residents were evaluated through the analysis of 13 studies of the last eight years. The reviewed literature returned prevalence ranges between 67.8% and 87.7% according to the STOPP criteria, according to START criteria prevalence ranged from 39.5% to 99.7%. The main factors associated with the presence of inappropriate prescriptions were age, comorbidities, and polypharmacy. These data highlight that, although the STOPP/START criteria were initially developed for community-dwelling older adults, its use in nursing homes may be a starting point to help detect more efficiently inappropriate prescriptions in institutionalized patients. We hope that this review will help to draw attention to the need for medication monitoring systems in this vulnerable population.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The potentially inappropriate prescription by omission of a drug is defined as the failure to prescribe drugs that are clinically indicated. The objective of this article is to describe and analyse the evolution of inappropriate prescriptions by omission in nursing homes of a health department. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective observational descriptive study carried out in nursing homes of the Valencia-Clínico-Malvarrosa health department during the period 2016-2018. All institutionalized patients during this period were included. The prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions by omission was assessed based on version 2 of the START criteria. The variables came from the electronic medical records of ambulatory care of the Conselleria de Sanitat (Abucasis). RESULTS: 2251 different patients were selected, mean age of 79,53years, 69% women, and an average of 4,60 chronic drugs/resident. A total of 2647 inappropriate prescriptions by omission were identified during the study period, and the results were similar during these 3years. The most prevalent START criteria were those related to the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system, and those related to analgesic consumption. The mean value of inappropriate prescriptions by omission prevalence for the period studied were 39.54%. CONCLUSION: The results of our study confirm a high prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions by omission in residents of nursing homes, and the maintenance of this prevalence during the 3years of the study.