National patterns of paroxetine use among US Medicare patients from 2015-2020.

Introduction: Paroxetine is an older "selective" serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that is notable for its lack of selectivity, resulting in an anticholinergic adverse-effect profile, especially among older adults (65+). Methods: Paroxetine prescription rates and costs per state were ascertained from the Medicare Specialty Utilization and Payment Data. States' annual prescription rate, corrected per thousand Part D enrollees, outside a 95% confidence interval were considered significantly different from the average. Results: Nationally, there was a steady decrease in population-corrected paroxetine prescriptions (-34.52%) and spending (-29.55%) from 2015-2020 but a consistent, five-fold state-level difference. From 2015-2020, Kentucky (194.9, 195.3, 182.7, 165.1, 143.3, 132.5) showed significantly higher prescriptions rates relative to the national average, and Hawaii (42.1, 37.9, 34.3, 31.7, 27.7, 26.6) showed significantly lower prescription rates. North Dakota was often a frequently elevated prescriber of paroxetine (2016: 170.7, 2018: 143.3), relative to the average. Neuropsychiatry and geriatric medicine frequently prescribed the most paroxetine, relative to the number of providers in that specialty, from 2015-2020. Discussion: Despite the American Geriatrics Society's prohibition against paroxetine use in older adults and many effective treatment alternatives, paroxetine was still commonly used in the US in this population, especially in Kentucky and North Dakota and by neuropsychiatry and geriatric medicine. These findings provide information on the specialty types and states where education and policy reform would likely have the greatest impact on improving adherence to the paroxetine prescription recommendations.

Enhancing Medication Safety through Implementing the Qatar Tool for Reducing Inappropriate Medication (QTRIM) in Ambulatory Older Adults.

INTRODUCTION: To promote optimal healthcare delivery, safeguarding older adults from the risks associated with inappropriate medication use is paramount. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the Qatar Tool for Reducing Inappropriate Medication (QTRIM) in ambulatory older adults to enhance medication safety. METHOD: The QTRIM was developed by an expert consensus panel using the Beers Criteria and contained a list of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) based on the local formulary. Using quality improvement methodology, it was piloted and implemented in two outpatient pharmacy settings serving geriatric medicine and dermatology clinics at Rumailah Hospital, Qatar. Key performance indicators (KPIs) using implementation documentation as a process measure and the percentage reduction in PIM prescriptions as an outcome measure were assessed before and after QTRIM implementation. This study was conducted between July 2022 and September 2023. RESULTS: In the outpatient department (OPD) geriatric pharmacy, the prescription rate of PIMs was reduced from an average of 1.2 ± 0.7 PIMs per 1000 orders in 2022 to an average of 0.8 ± 0.2 PIMs per 1000 orders in 2023. In the OPD geriatric pharmacy, the results showed a 66.6% reduction in tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) (from 30 to 10), a reduction in first-generation antihistamines by 51.7% (29 to 14), and muscle relaxants by 33.3% (36 to 24). While in dermatology, the older adult prescription rate of PIMs was reduced from an average of 8 ± 3 PIMs per 1000 orders in 2022 to a rate of 5 ± 3 PIMs per 1000 orders in 2023; the most PIM reductions were (49.4%) in antihistamines (from 89 to 45), while muscle relaxants and TCAs showed a minimal reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing QTRIM with pharmacy documentation monitoring markedly reduced the PIMs dispensed from two specialized outpatient pharmacies serving older adults. It may be a promising effective strategy to enhance medication safety in outpatient pharmacy settings.

STOPP/START Anti-aggregation and Anticoagulation Alerts in Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is common in the elderly. A key component of AF management is Oral Anticoagulant Therapy (OAT), consisting of Vitamin K Antagonists (VKAs) or Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs). The aim of the present study is to check, using STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions)/START (Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment) Criteria, if such drugs are potentially inappropriately prescribed/omitted in an elderly population with AF, and to determine their impact on mortality. METHODS: This study included patients (n = 427) with nonvalvular AF consecutively evaluated between 2013 and 2019 at the Geriatric Outpatient Service, University Hospital of Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy, and followed up for 36 months. The OAT group included 330 patients; the other 97 patients constituted the non-OAT group. The sample was assessed for STOPP/START criteria. RESULTS: We found no difference (p > 0.1) in comorbidity burden, frailty, and cardio-cerebro-vascular disease prevalence in the two groups, which also did not present a difference in 36-month mortality (p = 0.97). OAT was overall appropriately taken, and 62.4% of OAT-group presented the START criterion to take antiplatelets but also the STOPP criterion not to take them, because of the simultaneous anticoagulant intake. In the non-OAT group, 69.1% presented the START criterion to take anticoagulants, and 21.6% the START criterion to take antiplatelets. CONCLUSION: Patients with AF are often prone to under or over-prescription, particularly of antithrombotic drugs. The STOPP/START criteria are a valid tool to assess and correct wrong therapeutic choices. In frail and comorbid subjects, survival is not correlated with the assumption of OAT.

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications and association with comorbidities in older adults with diabetes in an outpatient visitation setting.

Aims: Potentially inappropriate medications had been found associated with adverse drug events such as falls, emergency department admissions and hospital readmissions. There is lack of information about the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications and associated chronic conditions in older patients with diabetes in China. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications in older adults with diabetes in an outpatient visitation setting and the association with polypharmacy due to comorbidities. Materials and methods: This was a 3-year repeated cross-sectional study which conducted in outpatient setting of 52 hospitals in Shenzhen, China, using 2019 Beers criteria. The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications, polypharmacy and comorbidities in older adults with diabetes in an outpatient setting was expressed as percentages. Logistic models were used to investigate the association between potentially inappropriate medication exposure and age, sex, polypharmacy and comorbidities. Results: Among the 28,484 older adults with diabetes in 2015, 31,757 in 2016 and 24,675 in 2017, the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications was 43.2%, 44.88% and 42.40%, respectively. The top five potentially inappropriate medications were diuretics (20.56%), benzodiazepines (13.85%), androgens (13.18%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (12.94%) and sulfonylureas (6.23%). After adjustment for age and polypharmacy, the probability of potentially inappropriate medication exposure was associated with chronic gastrointestinal diseases, followed by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, tumor, dementia, chronic liver disease, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and hyperlipemia. Conclusion: Potentially inappropriate medications were common in older patients with diabetes in an outpatient visitation setting. Higher probability of potentially inappropriate medication exposure was associated with the comorbidity chronic gastrointestinal diseases as well as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. To ensure that iatrogenic risks remain minimal for older adults with diabetes, the clinical comorbidities should be considered.

Potential inappropriate medication and its influencing factors among elderly hypertensive patients in community general practice clinic / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the status quo of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) among elderly hypertensive patients in community general practice clinic and related influencing factors.Methods:A total of 767 prescriptions for elderly hypertensive patients in a community health service center in Beijing from October 2020 to August 2021 were reviewed. The prevalence of PIM was assessed based on the criteria of potentially inappropriate medications for older adults in China(2017). Logistic regression analysis was employed to analyze the influencing factors for PIM. Results:The survey showed that 198 elderly patients had PIM with 244 person-doses. The top three drugs with high rate of PIM were benzodiazepine-estazolam (64 person-doses), clopidogrel (53 person-doses) and insulin (35 person-doses). Univariate analysis showed that PIM was significantly associated with types of medication;and underlying diseases hypertension with hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, upper respiratory tract infection and insomnia (χ 2=82.58, 13.65, 17.74, 7.52, 10.34, 68.19,respectively,all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the types of medication, hypertension complicated with upper respiratory tract infection, and insomnia were independent influencing factors for PIM ( OR=1.55, 2.47, 9.05; P<0.05). Conclusion:The study shows that PIM is more common in elderly hypertensive patients in community general practice clinics,which is associated with types of medication, hypertension complicated with upper respiratory tract infection and insomnia. It is suggested that general practitioner working in community clinics should be aware of PIM, minimize the number of prescription drugs, and choose new drugs or non-drug treatments to reduce the occurrence of PIM.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of polypharmacy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: A cross-sectional study from Crete, Greece.

OBJECTIVES: Polypharmacy and multimorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are highly prevalent, with potential associations with worse COPD outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of polypharmacy, investigate the relationship of polypharmacy with health status and exacerbations and assess the prevalence of inappropriate medication (PIM), risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug-to-drug interactions in COPD patients. METHODS: A total of 245 COPD patients were enrolled from primary care in Crete, Greece. Patients completed a questionnaire and the COPD Assessment Test (CAT). Multimorbidity was defined as having two or more comorbidities and polypharmacy was defined as taking five or more drugs per day. RESULTS: Most of COPD patients (77.0%) and the majority (83.6%) of elderly (≥65 years) had multimorbidity, while polypharmacy was evident in 55.2% of all patients and 62.4% in elderly. After adjustments for age, gender and pack-years, polypharmacy was associated with CAT ≥ 10, multimorbidity, several cardiometabolic diseases, cancer and depression-anxiety and prostate disorders (all p values > 0.05). PIMs were found in 9.6% of subjects aged ≥65 years and were mainly mental health medication. Due to coadministration of medications, 22.3% of the population were at cumulative risk for falls, 17% for constipation and 12.8% for cardiovascular events. Finally, 15 pairs of drug-to-drug interactions were identified in 11.5% of patients. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that polypharmacy is highly prevalent and associated with worse health status and prescription risks in COPD patients. These findings potentially introduce an additional challenge on effective management of these patients.

Prevalence of Polypharmacy, Hyperpolypharmacy and Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Older people often receive multiple medications for chronic conditions, which often result in polypharmacy (concomitant use of 5‒9 medicines) and hyperpolypharmacy (concomitant use of ≥10 medicines). A limited number of studies have been performed to evaluate the prevalence of polypharmacy, hyperpolypharmacy, and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in older people of developing countries. The present study aimed to investigate regional variations in the prevalence of polypharmacy, hyperpolypharmacy, and PIM use in older people (60 + years) in India. Methods: Studies were identified using Medline/PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases published from inception (2002) to September 31, 2020. Out of the total 1890 articles, 27 were included in the study. Results: Overall, the pooled prevalence of polypharmacy was 49% (95% confidence interval: 42-56; p < 0.01), hyperpolypharmacy was 31% (21-40; p < 0.01), and PIM use was 28% (24-32; p < 0.01) among older Indian adults. Polypharmacy was more prevalent in North-east India (65%, 50-79), whereas hyperpolypharmacy was prevalent in south India (33%, 17-48). Region-wize estimates for the pooled prevalence of PIM use in India were as follows: 23% (21-25) in East, 33% in West (24-42), 17.8% in North (11-23), and 32% (26-38) in South India. The prevalence of PIM use in adults aged ≥70°years was 35% (28-42), in those taking more medications (≥5.5/day) was 27% (22-31), and in adults using a high number of PIMs (≥3) was 29% (22-36). Subgroup analysis showed that cross-sectional studies had a higher pooled prevalence of polypharmacy 55% (44-65) than cohorts 45% (37-54). Hyperpolypharmacy in inpatient care settings was 37% (26-47), whereas PIM use was higher in private hospitals 31% (24-38) than government hospitals 25% (19-31). Conclusion: Polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy are widely prevalent in India. About 28% of older Indian adults are affected by PIM use. Thus, appropriate steps are needed to promote rational geriatric prescribing in India. Systematic Review Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov, identifier [CRD42019141037].

Analysis of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) used in elderly outpatients in departments of internal medicine by using the Screening Tool of Older Persons' Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria.

BACKGROUND: Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are associated with increased adverse drug reactions (ADRs), admission rate, and mortality rate in elderly patients. Here, we assessed PIM use in elderly outpatients in the departments of internal medicine in our center by using the Screening Tool of Older Persons' potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria. METHODS: The clinical data of 13,221 outpatients aged ≥65 years in the departments of respiratory medicine, endocrinology, neurology, and cardiovascular medicine of a tertiary hospital from January 2016 to March 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The incidence of PIM in these patients was assessed by using the STOPP criteria (2014 version). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for PIM use. RESULTS: It was found that 1,040 (7.87%) of 13,221 elderly patients had at least one STOPP-listed PIM, and a total of 1,785 PIMs were identified. The most commonly used PIMs were benzodiazepine, hypnotic Z-drugs (zolpidem), and antipsychotics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age [odds ratio (OR) =1.032, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.022, 1.042], gender (OR =0.783, 95% CI: 0.687, 0.892), number of prescribed medications (OR =1.134, 95% CI: 1.106, 1.163), and number of diagnoses (OR =1.450 95% CI: 1.391, 1.510) were significantly associated with PIM use. The incidence of PIM use was highest in the Department of Neurology (12.75%), followed by the Department of Cardiology (5.90%), Department of Endocrinology (4.94%), and Department of Respiratory Medicine (2.90%). The risk factors for PIMs varied among different departments: except that benzodiazepines and hypnotic Z-drugs (zolpidem) were 2 common PIMs in all departments, the remaining topranked PIMs were department-specific. CONCLUSIONS: PIM use in elderly patients in the outpatient departments of internal medicine is mainly related to age, gender, number of medications, and number of diagnoses. However, it varies among different departments, and the main PIM types are also department-specific. Thus, special attention should be paid to departments with a high incidence and a large number of PIMs, so as to promote rational use of medicines.

Trends in polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) in older and middle-aged people treated for diabetes.

AIMS: Polypharmacy is common in people with diabetes and is associated with the use of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM). This study aimed to assess trends in the prevalence of polypharmacy and PIM in older and middle-aged people with diabetes. METHODS: A repeated cross-sectional study using the University Groningen IADB.nl prescription database was conducted. All people aged 45 years and over who were treated for diabetes registered in the period 2012-2016 were included. Polypharmacy was assessed for three age groups. PIMs were assessed using Beers criteria for people ≥65 years old, and PRescribing Optimally in Middle-aged People's Treatments (PROMPT) criteria for 45-64 years old. Chi-square tests and regression analysis were applied. RESULTS: The prevalence of polypharmacy increased significantly in all age groups in the study period. In 2016, the prevalence of polypharmacy was 36.9% in patients aged 45-54 years, 50.3% in those aged 55-64 years, and 66.2% in those aged ≥65 years. The prevalence of older people with at least one PIM decreased by 3.1%, while in the middle-aged group this prevalence increased by 0.9% from 2012 to 2016. The most common PIMs in both age groups were the use of long-term high-dose proton pump inhibitors, benzodiazepines and strong opioids without laxatives. Of those, only benzodiazepines showed a decreasing trend. CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy increased in older and middle-aged people with diabetes. While the prevalence of PIM decreased over time in older age, this trend was not observed in middle-aged people with diabetes. Efforts are needed to decrease the use of PIMs in populations already burdened with many drugs, notably at middle age.

Evaluation of Potentially Inappropriate Medication in Elderly Hospitalized Patients in Our Hospital Based on 2019 Beers Criteria / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and analyze the potential inappropriate medication(PIM) in elderly hospitalized patients in our hospital, explore the related risk factors, and analyze the use of PIM involved drugs in different departments, so as to provide reference for the formulation of medication manuals for the elderies in different departments and for further standardizing the use of drugs in elderly patients. METHODS: The medical advice for elder patients(≥65 years old)hospitalised from January to October 2017 in our hospital was collected. Beers criteria of American Geriatrics Association 2019 was used as the reference to investigate and analyze PIM. And the risk factors of PIM were analyzed by logistic regression. RESULTS: The average age of 12 756 elderly hospitalized patients was (74.13±6.88) years and the average number of diseases per patient was (3.22±2.09). For each patient, (4.79±3.76) kinds of medicines were used. According to the 2019 Beers criteria, the incidence of PIM was 20.00%. Among them, the central nervous system medications(6.41%, 818/12 756) (estazolam tablets, alprazolam tablets) were the most frequently used. Data of PIM occurrence in different departments showed that the PIM incidence was higher in rheumatology, geriatrics, rehabilitation, anesthesia surgery and oncology departments. In addition, logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, the number of combined medications and diseases, and length of stay were all potential risk factors for PIM. CONCLUSION: The incidence of PIM in elderly hospitalized patients in our hospital is high. The rational drug use in elderly patients needs to be improved.

Evaluation of Rationality of Geriatric Patients' Prescription Based On Beers Criteria in a Tertiary Care Hospital in India.

AIM: Irrational prescribing for geriatric patients has become an important public health problem worldwide. Because India is one of the most populated countries having a great proportion of old people in the world, studies on the prevalence of inappropriate prescriptions can be very beneficial to increase the knowledge of health care providers and to reduce the occurrence of adverse drug events among this population. METHODS: A group of 482 inpatients above 64 years old were enrolled in a prospective study. Chart review method was used. The data were collected from patients' prescription and medicine charts. Each prescription was checked individually for the inappropriate drug by using the AGS 2015 Updated Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults. Suggestions were given to the physicians for inappropriate medications. RESULTS: The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication is found to be 11.66% (n = 56). Out of 56 inappropriate medications, the most frequently inappropriate medication is Digoxin (25%) followed by Sprinolactone 19.64%. This study founds age, some medication, length of stay and number of diagnosis as predictors for getting a PIM. Feedback of the physicians varies based on the suggestions. CONCLUSION: This study concludes that the prevalence of PIMs among geriatrics patients of ≥ 65 years old is 11.66%. Some predictors have been identified for getting a PIM. This study shows that physicians' feedback is dependent on the suggestions being given.

Can screening tools for potentially inappropriate prescriptions in older adults prevent serious adverse drug events?

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to identify and explore risk factors of serious adverse drug events (SADE) and SADE-related admissions in acutely hospitalized multimorbid older adults and assess whether these could have been prevented by adherence to the prescription tools Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions (STOPP) and The Norwegian General Practice (NORGEP) criteria. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of acutely admitted patients to a medical department in a Norwegian regional hospital. Eligible patients were community-dwelling, receiving home care services, and aged 75+, with ≥ 3 chronic diseases. Medications and information regarding the admission were retrieved from the referral letter and medical records, while an expert panel identified SADE using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events and SADE-related admissions. RESULTS: We included 232 patients. Mean (SD) age was 86 (5.7) years, 137 (59%) were female, 121 (52%) used 5-9 drugs whereas 65 (28%) used ≥ 10. We identified SADEs in 72 (31%) of the patients, and in 49 (68%) of these cases, the SADE was considered to cause the hospital admission. A low body mass index (BMI) and a high Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatrics (CIRS-G) score were independent risk factors for SADEs. Among the SADEs identified, 32 (44%) and 11 (15%) were preventable by adherence to STOPP and NORGEP, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high prevalence of SADE leading to hospitalization. Risk factors for SADE were high CIRS-G and low BMI. STOPP identified more SADEs than NORGEP, but adherence to the prescription tools could only to a limited degree prevent SADEs in this patient group.

Potentially inappropriate medication use among hypertensive older African-American adults.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate use of medications, particularly among minority older adults with co-morbidity, remains a major public health concern. The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) reports that Potentially Inappropriate Medication (PIM) continues to be prescribed for older adults, despite evidence of poor outcomes. The main objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of PIM use among underserved non-institutionalized hypertensive older African-American adults. Furthermore, this study examines potential correlations between PIM use and the number and type of chronic conditions. METHODS: This cross-sectional study is comprised of a convenience sample of 193 hypertensive non-institutionalized African-American adults, aged 65 years and older recruited from several senior housing units located in underserved areas of South Los Angeles. The updated 2015 AGS Beers Criteria was used to identify participants using PIMs. RESULTS: Almost one out of two participants had inappropriate medication use. While the average number of PIMs taken was 0.87 drugs, the range was from one to seven medications. Almost 23% of PIMs were due to drugs with potential drug-drug interactions. The most common PIM was the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and Central Nervous System (CNS) active agents. Nearly 56% of PIMs potentially increased the risk of falls and fall-associated bone fractures. The use of PIMs was significantly higher among participants who reported a higher number of chronic conditions. Nearly 70% of participants with PIM use reported suffering from chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: The major reason for high levels of polypharmacy, PIMs, and drug interactions is that patients suffer from multiple chronic conditions. But it may not be possible or necessary to treat all chronic conditions. Therefore, the goals of care should be explicitly reviewed with the patient in order to determine which of the many chronic conditions has the greatest impact on the life goals and/or functional priorities of the patient. Those drugs that have a limited impact on the patient's functional priorities and that may cause harmful drug-drug interactions can be reduced or eliminated, while the remaining medications can focus on the most important functional priorities of the patient.

Preventable ADRs leading to hospitalization - results of a long-term prospective safety study with 6,427 ADR cases focusing on elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Studies evaluating the impact of age and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) on avoidable adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are scarce. METHODS: In this prospective, multi-center, long-term (8.5 years) observational study, we analysed ADRs leading to hospitalization in departments of internal medicine. ADRs causality and preventability were assessed using standardised algorithms. PIM was defined based on the PRISCUS-list. Multivariate analyses and estimation of ADR incidence rates were conducted. RESULTS: Of all 6,427 ADR patients, a preventable ADR was present in 1,253 (19.5%) patients (elderly patients ≥70 years: 828). Risk factors for preventable ADRs in elderly patients were multimorbidity, two to four ADR-causative drugs, and intake of particular compounds (e.g. spironolactone) but not sex, PIM usage, or the total number of drugs. Regarding particular compounds associated with preventable ADRs, highest incidence rates for preventable ADRs were found for patients aged ≥70 years for spironolactone (3.3 per 1,000 exposed persons (95% CI: 1.4-6.6)) and intermediate-acting insulin (3.3 per 1,000 exposed persons (95% CI: 1.6-6.1)). CONCLUSION: Avoiding PIM usage seems to be of limited value in increasing safety in elderly patients whereas our results underline the importance of an individualized medication review of the most commonly implicated drugs in preventable ADRs (supported by BfArM FoNr: V-11337/68605/2008-2010).

Investigation of irrational drug use in elderly patients and analysis of influence factors of potentially inap-propriate medications andinfluence factors analysis of potential inappropriate medication in geriatric patients in senile people / 医学研究生学报

Objective The proportion of multiple drugs and the irrational use of drugs increased significantly in the elderly patients (over 80 years). This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) and analyzed the possible reasons related to PIM in elderly patients. Methods In this study,918 cases from Cadre Ward I of Research Center for Geriatrics of Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Region were selected from January to December in 2016. According to the Beers Criteria (Version 2015),we evaluated PIM in four subtypes,type 1 that is not related to the state of disease in elderly patients, type 2 that is related to the state of disease in elderly patients,type 3 which should be used carefully,and type 4 which is the inappropriate combination of non-anti-infective Drugs. The PIM influence factors were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. Results There are 521 cases (56.75%) of type 1 PIM. The first 3 drugs are Short and medium acting benzodiazepams,PPI and long acting benzodiazepams. There are 206 cases (22.4%) of type 2 PIM. The first 2 drugs are drugs associated with insomnia (oral hyperemia, stimulants, theo-phylline and caffeine) and drugs associated with dementia or cognitive impairment (anti-cholinergic drugs and H2 receptor antago-nists). There are 834 cases (90.85%) of type 3 PIM,which should be used carefully and 45 cases(4.90%) of type 4 PIM.45 cases (4.90%) of non-anti-infective drugs should be avoid or reduced as much as possible in consideration of renal function. The number of combined drug use(OR=5.331,95% CI:3.549-8.009),the age(OR=1.171,95% CI:1.093-1.249),the Chalson's comorbidity index (OR=1.964,95% CI:1.477-2.450) are risk factors of PIM. Conclusion The incidence of potentially inappropriate use of drugs is high among the elderly patients. Reducing the number of combined drugs is an important measure to avoid the occurrence of PIM in elderly patients.

Prescription of potentially inappropriate medication in Korean older adults based on 2012 Beers Criteria: a cross-sectional population based study.

BACKGROUND: A high number of elderly people with multiple comorbidities are exposed to the risk of polypharmacy and prescription of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and patterns of PIM prescription in Korean older adults according to the 2012 Beers Criteria. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted using data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment (KHIRA) database of outpatient prescription claims collected from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011. A total of 523,811 elderly subjects aged 65 years and older were included in the study, and several covariates related to the prescription of PIMs were obtained from the KHIRA database. These covariates were analyzed using Student's t test and the chi-square test; furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk factors associated with the prescription of PIMs. RESULTS: A total of 80.96 % subjects were prescribed at least one PIM independent of their diagnosis or condition according to the 2012 Beers Criteria. The most commonly prescribed medication class was first-generation antihistamines with anticholinergic properties (52.33 %). Pain medications (43.04 %) and benzodiazepines (42.53 %) were next in line. When considering subjects' diagnoses or conditions, subjects diagnosed with central nervous system conditions were most often prescribed PIMs. Female sex, severity of comorbidities, and polypharmacy were significant risk factors for PIM prescriptions. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that PIM prescription is common among elderly Koreans. A clinical decision support system should be developed to decrease the prevalence of PIM prescriptions.