Comparison of three criteria for potentially inappropriate medications in Chinese older adults

Association of potentially inappropriate medications with prognosis among older patients with non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are common among older adults with cancer, but their association with overall survival (OS) among non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of PIMs and OS in patients with NSCLC.

METHODS

In this cohort study, we included patients ≥ 65 years with newly diagnosed NSCLC from January 2014 to December 2020. Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) is defined by the Beers criteria of 2019 at baseline and within six months following the initiation of systemic therapy. Multivariable Cox regression model was built to assess the association between PIMs and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

We finally included 338 patients with a median follow-up for OS of 1777 days. The prevalence of patients receiving at least one PIM was 39.9% (135/338) and 61.2% (71/116) at baseline and after systemic therapy, respectively. The most important factor associated with PIM use was the number of prescribed medications (P < 0.001). Baseline PIM use and PIM after systemic therapy were significantly associated with inferior OS (476 days vs. 844 days, P = 0.044; and 633 days vs. 1600 days, P = 0.007; respectively). In multivariable analysis, both baseline PIM use and PIM after systemic therapy were independent predictors of poor prognosis (adjusted HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.01-1.75; P = 0.041; and adjusted HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.11-3.14; P = 0.020; respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

PIMs are prevalent among older patients with NSCLC and are independent predictors of NSCLC prognosis. There is an urgent need for clinicians to conduct medication reconciliation and appropriate deprescribing for this population, especially for patients with multiple PIMs.

Comparison of four criteria for potentially inappropriate medications in older patients with newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use is a common problem among older patients. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of PIMs in older patients with newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to identify the correlates of PIMs.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study was conducted. Patients were enrolled from January 2014 to December 2020 and information were extracted from patients' electronic medical records (EMRs). We evaluated the PIMs using four different PIM criteria. The concordance among the four PIM criteria was calculated using kappa tests. The possible risk factors associated with PIMs were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

The prevalence of at least one PIM identified by the four criteria ranged from 25.1% to 48.2% among 514 patients. There was moderate consistency between the GO-PIM scale and the AGS/Beers criteria, while poor consistency with the other criteria (the STOPP criteria and the Chinese criteria). Polypharmacy was found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of PIMs in all criteria (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results showed a high prevalence of PIMs in older patients with NSCLC, which was significantly associated with polypharmacy, and the consistency across the four criteria was poor-to-moderate.

Frequency of Single or Combined Anticholinergic Medication Usage as Potentially Inappropriate Medications among the Oldest-Old Age Subgroup

Background

The use of medications with anticholinergic effects can have negative effects on older patients, such as cognitive dysfunction and falls. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of use of anticholinergic medication among the oldest-old age group and to analyze the factors associated with its use.

Methods

This is a descriptive study. The data were collected by visiting the oldest-olds at their homes, where the oldest-olds lived alone or with his or her family. The sample size was calculated as 354 using EpiInfo. The generic name of the medication used, the age, sex, and city of residence of the patient were recorded. The medications were analyzed using guidelines showing the anticholinergic effect, classified as 1 (low), 2 (moderate), and ≥3 (strong), and the frequency of usage by the oldest-olds was determined.

Results

A total of 549 oldest-olds participated in the research. Of the oldest-olds, 57.92% (n = 318) were using one or more anticholinergic medications. The median number of anticholinergic medications used by the oldest-olds was 1 (range: 0.00-6.00). Medications with strong anticholinergic effects (≥3) were used by 14.94% (n = 82) of the oldest-olds. The most commonly used were medications with low anticholinergic effects. However, the concomitant use of anticholinergic medications increased the total anticholinergic effect.

Conclusion

The oldest-old age group used medications with anticholinergic effects. A strong anticholinergic effect was obtained when medications with low or moderate anticholinergic effects were combined. Medications with anticholinergic effects should also be reviewed in the safety analysis of medications used by the oldest-old.

Evaluation of potentially inappropriate medications for the elderly according to beers, STOPP, START, and Chinese criteria

Objective: Polypharmacy prevalence is increasing worldwide, and it is becoming more popular among the elderly. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) using the Beers criteria (2019 edition), criteria for potentially inappropriate medications for older adults in China (Chinese criteria), Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions (STOPP), and Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment (START) criteria and to identify risk factors associated with PIM use. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 276 inpatients aged ≥65 years old from January 2020 to June 2020. A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze PIMs based on the Beers (2019 edition), Chinese, STOPP, and START criteria. PIMs use was analysed based on four different criteria and logistic regression analysis was used to investigate independent factors associated with PIM use. Results: The mean number of medications used by the elderly population was nine (range, 0-28). A total of 252 patients (accounting for 91.30%) took five or more medications and 120 patients (accounting for 43.48%) took 10 or more medications. The prevalence rates of PIMs were 66.30% (183/276), 55.07% (152/276), 26.45% (73/276), and 64.13% (177/276) determined by the Beers, Chinese, STOPP, and START criteria, respectively. The top PIMs screened using the Beers, Chinese, and STOPP criteria were proton pump inhibitors, clopidogrel, and benzodiazepines, respectively. Missed use of ACEI in patients with systolic heart failure and/or coronary artery disease was found to be the most common potential prescription omission (PPOs) analyzed using the START criteria. Logistic regression analysis showed that the strongest predictor of PIMs, as determined by all four criteria, was an increased number of medications (p < 0.001). Age was another risk factor for PIMs based on the STOPP criteria in our study (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Polypharmacy and PIMs were common in our study, and the risk of PIMs correlated with polypharmacy. Application of the Beers, Chinese, STOPP, and START criteria is a useful tool for detecting PIM use.

Performance of potentially inappropriate medications assessment tools in older Indian patients with cancer

BACKGROUND

Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use are common problems in older adults. Safe prescription practices are a necessity. The tools employed for the identification of PIM sometimes do not concur with each other.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of patients ≥60 years who visited the Geriatric Oncology Clinic of the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India from 2018 to 2021 was performed. Beer's-2015, STOPP/START criteria v2, PRISCUS-2010, Fit fOR The Aged (FORTA)-2018, and the EU(7)-PIM list-2015 were the tools used to assess PIM. Every patient was assigned a standardized PIM value (SPV) for each scale, which represented the ratio of the number of PIMs identified by a given scale to the total number of medications taken. The median SPV of all five tools was considered the reference standard for each patient. Bland-Altman plots were utilized to determine agreement between each scale and the reference. Association between baseline variables and PIM use was determined using multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 467 patients included in this analysis, there were 372 (79.66%) males and 95 (20.34%) females with an average age of 70 ± 5.91 years. The EU(7)-PIM list was found to have the highest level of agreement given by a bias estimate of 0.010, the lowest compared to any other scale. The 95% CI of the bias was in the narrow range of -0.001 to 0.022, demonstrating the precision of the estimate. In comparison, the bias (95%) CI of Beer's criteria, STOPP/START criteria, PRISCUS list, and FORTA list were -0.039 (-0.053 to -0.025), 0.076 (0.060 to 0.092), 0.035 (0.021 to 0.049), and -0.148 (-0.165 to -0.130), respectively. Patients on polypharmacy had significantly higher PIM use compared to those without (OR = 1.47 (1.33-1.63), p = <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The EU(7)-PIM list was found to have the least bias and hence can be considered the most reliable among all other tools studied.

Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use Among Older Patients with Diabetes in a Chinese Community

BACKGROUND

Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are frequently prescribed to older people with diabetes. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of PIM use in older people with diabetes and identify potential risk factors influencing the development of PIM use.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in an outpatient setting in Beijing, China, using Chinese criteria. The prevalence of PIM use, polypharmacy, and comorbidities in older adults with diabetes in an outpatient setting was measured. Logistic models were employed to investigate the association among polypharmacy, comorbidities, and PIM use.

RESULTS

The prevalence of PIM use and polypharmacy was 50.1% and 70.8%, respectively. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (68.0%), hyperlipemia (56.6%), and stroke (36.3%), and the top three inappropriately used medications were insulin (22.0%), clopidogrel (11.9%), and eszopiclone (9.81%). Age (OR 1.025; 95% CI 1.009, 1.042), the number of diagnoses (OR 1.172; 95% CI 1.114, 1.232), coronary heart disease (OR 1.557; 95% CI 1.207, 2.009), and polypharmacy (OR 1.697; 95% CI 1.252, 2.301) were associated with PIM use.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the higher rate of PIM use among older adults with diabetes, strategies and interventions targeting this population are needed to minimize PIM use.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of medical interns and postgraduate residents on American Geriatric Society updated Beers criteria

BACKGROUND

Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) prevalence in older adults is increasing day by day due to lack of knowledge among medical students and professionals.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the knowledge of medical students toward American Geriatric Society (AGS) Beers criteria for PIM prescribing.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study employed a self-administered questionnaire which was validated and designed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of medical interns and postgraduate residents on Beers criteria for PIMs in older adults. The study was conducted in Faridkot region of Punjab in 2019. This study will utilize a purposive sampling strategy and a convenience sampling of up to 183 participants. Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare different issues as appropriate. P values of <0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS

Out of 183 questionnaires distributed, only 155 participants (response rate 84.6%) had filled the survey and were included in the study. 61.3% (n = 95) of the respondents were males. The mean knowledge score of 155 participants was (5.16 ± 1.56), where the highest score was 9 and the lowest score was 2 out of 10. 15.5% (n = 24) of the participant strongly agreed that Beers criteria use is necessary in clinical setting and would be very helpful. While 22.5% (n = 35) of the participants strongly agreed that PIMs cause adverse drug event (ADE) and drug-related problems (DRPs) in older adults. Age of the participant had a significant effect on the knowledge score (p = 0.009), and participant aged between 31 and 40 years had significantly higher knowledge scores compared with participants falls under 20-30 years.

CONCLUSION

Medical students and postgraduate residents had average knowledge of PIMs and are unaware of the standard guidelines in older adults such as the Beers criteria. Lack of formal education or training about Beers guidelines was the main reason responsible for average knowledge among participants.

A combination of Beers and STOPP criteria better detects potentially inappropriate medications use among older hospitalized patients with chronic diseases and polypharmacy: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Research on potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) and medication-related problems (MRP) among the Chinese population with chronic diseases and polypharmacy is insufficient.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of PIM and MRP among older Chinese hospitalized patients with chronic diseases and polypharmacy and analyze the associated factors.

METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in five tertiary hospitals in Beijing. Patients aged ≥ 65 years with at least one chronic disease and taking at least five or more medications were included. Data were extracted from the hospitals' electronic medical record systems. PIM was evaluated according to the 2015 Beers criteria and the 2014 Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria. MRPs were assessed and classified according to the Helper-Strand classification system. The prevalence of PIM and MRP and related factors were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 852 cases were included. The prevalence of PIM was 85.3% and 59.7% based on the Beers criteria and the STOPP criteria. A total of 456 MRPs occurred in 247 patients. The most prevalent MRP categories were dosages that were too low and unnecessary medication therapies. Hyperpolypharmacy (taking ≥ 10 drugs) (odds ratio OR 3.736, 95% confidence interval CI 1.541-9.058, P = 0.004) and suffering from coronary heart disease (OR 2.620, 95%CI 1.090-6.297, P = 0.031) were the influencing factors of inappropriate prescribing (the presence of either PIM or MRP in a patient).

CONCLUSION

PIM and MRP were prevalent in older patients with chronic disease and polypharmacy in Chinese hospitals. More interventions are urgently needed to reduce PIM use and improve the quality of drug therapies.

Overuse of medications in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Objective

To identify and summarize the evidence about the extent of overuse of medications in low- and middle-income countries, its drivers, consequences and potential solutions.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review by searching the databases PubMed®, Embase®, APA PsycINFO® and Global Index Medicus using a combination of MeSH terms and free text words around overuse of medications and overtreatment. We included studies in any language published before 25 October 2021 that reported on the extent of overuse, its drivers, consequences and solutions.

Findings

We screened 3489 unique records and included 367 studies reporting on over 5.1 million prescriptions across 80 low- and middle-income countries - with studies from 58.6% (17/29) of all low-, 62.0% (31/50) of all lower-middle- and 60.0% (33/55) of all upper-middle-income countries. Of the included studies, 307 (83.7%) reported on the extent of overuse of medications, with estimates ranging from 7.3% to 98.2% (interquartile range: 30.2-64.5). Commonly overused classes included antimicrobials, psychotropic drugs, proton pump inhibitors and antihypertensive drugs. Drivers included limited knowledge of harms of overuse, polypharmacy, poor regulation and financial influences. Consequences were patient harm and cost. Only 11.4% (42/367) of studies evaluated solutions, which included regulatory reforms, educational, deprescribing and audit-feedback initiatives.

Conclusion

Growing evidence suggests overuse of medications is widespread within low- and middle-income countries, across multiple drug classes, with few data of solutions from randomized trials. Opportunities exist to build collaborations to rigorously develop and evaluate potential solutions to reduce overuse of medications.

Evaluation of potentially inappropriate medications in older patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit according to the 2019 Beers criteria, STOPP criteria version 2 and Chinese criteria

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVES

Potential inappropriate medications (PIMs) can increase the risk of medication-induced harm. However, there are no studies regarding PIMs in older and critically ill patients with cardiovascular diseases in China. Therefore, studies evaluating PIMs in these patients can help in the implementation of more effective interventions to reduce the risk of drug use. Our objective was to analyse the prevalence of PIMs in elderly patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) comparing the 2019 Beers criteria (Beers criteria), Screening Tool of Older People's Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria version 2 (STOPP criteria) and criteria of potentially inappropriate medications for older adults in China (Chinese criteria); and analyse the factors influencing the PIMs.

METHODS

This cross-sectional and retrospective study was performed with elderly patients (≥65 years) admitted to the CICU of the Beijing Tongren Hospital in China from January 2019 to June 2020. The PIMs were identified based on the Chinese, STOPP and Beers criteria at admission and discharge. The three criteria were compared using the Kappa statistic. Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the influencing factors associated with PIMs.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A total of 369 patients who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were included in this study. According to the three criteria used to evaluate the PIMs, the prevalence was 78.3% and 72.6% at admission and discharge, respectively. The prevalence rate of PIMs determined by the Chinese criteria was 62.1% at admission versus 56.6% at discharge (p = 0.134); the Beers criteria was 53.9% at admission versus 46.9% at discharge (p = 0.056); by the STOPP criteria was 20.6% at admission versus 13.8% at discharge (p = 0.015). Moreover, 28.9% (STOPP criteria), 56.8% (Beers criteria) and 73.4% (Chinese criteria) of patients taking PIMs on admission still had the same problem at discharge. The most common PIMs screened by the Beers, STOPP and Chinese criteria were diuretics, benzodiazepines and clopidogrel, respectively. Besides, the three criteria showed poor agreement. Finally, the stronger predictor of PIMs was the increased number of medications (p < 0.05).

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

The prevalence of PIMs in elderly patients admitted to the CICU was high. The Chinese, STOPP and Beers criteria are effective screening tools to detect PIMs, but the consistency between them was poor. The increased number of medications was a significant predictor of PIMs.

Potentially inappropriate medications based on TIME criteria and risk of in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between hospital admission potentially inappropriate medications use (PIM) and in-hospital mortality of COVID-19, considering other possible factors related to mortality.

METHODS

The Turkish inappropriate medication use in the elderly (TIME) criteria were used to define PIM. The primary outcome of this study was in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

We included 201 older adults (mean age 73.1±9.4, 48.9% females). The in-hospital mortality rate and prevalence of PIM were 18.9% (n=38) and 96% (n=193), respectively. The most common PIM according to TIME to START was insufficient vitamin D and/or calcium intake per day. Proton-pump inhibitor use for multiple drug indications was the most prevalent PIM based on TIME to STOP findings. Mortality was related to PIM in univariate analysis (p=0.005) but not in multivariate analysis (p=0.599). Older age (hazards ratio (HR): 1.08; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.13; p=0.005) and higher Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002) scores were correlated with in-hospital mortality (HR: 1.29; 95%CI 1.00-1.65; p=0.042).

CONCLUSION

Mortality was not associated with PIM. Older age and malnutrition were related to in-hospital mortality in COVID-19.

Potentially inappropriate medications in older Chinese outpatients based on the Beers criteria and Chinese criteria

Objective: Polypharmacy increases the prevalence of potentially inappropriate drugs potentially inappropriate medications among older persons, lowering their quality of life. PIMs use can lead to higher mortality in older patients. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of PIMs in older Chinese outpatients according to the Beers criteria and the Chinese criteria and to analyze the risk factors. Second, we describe the differences between the two criteria, focusing on the inappropriate prescription of drugs in older outpatients.

Methods: In Chengdu, Southwest China, a cross-sectional study was undertaken using electronic medical data from 9 general hospitals s. Outpatients above the age of 60 who were treated in the Geriatrics Center of these medical institutions were included. The 2019 Beers criteria and the 2017 Chinese criteria were used to evaluate the PIM status of older outpatients, and binary logistic regression was used to identify potential risk factors for PIMs.

Results: There were 44,458 prescriptions from 2016 to 2018. The prevalence of PIMs among older outpatients was 30.05% (according to the Beers criteria) and 35.38% (according to the Chinese criteria), with statistical difference. Estazolam, hydrochlorothiazide and alprazolam were the top three PIMs in the Beers criteria, while the top three PIMs in the Chinese criteria were clopidogrel, estazolam and insulin. The prevalence of PIMs was associated with age, the number of diseases and the number of drugs. PIMs were shown to be more common in patients aged 70 and above, with more than 2 kinds of diseases and more than 4 kinds of drugs.

Conclusion: PIMs were shown to be common among older outpatients in China, according to this study. The detection rate of the Chinese criteria was higher than that of the Beers criteria.

Applicability of tools to identify potentially inappropriate prescribing in elderly during medication review: Comparison of STOPP/START version 2, Beers 2019, EU(7)-PIM list, PRISCUS list, and Amsterdam tool—A pilot study

Potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) is one of the major risk factors of adverse drug events in elderly patients. Pharmacotherapy assessment criteria may help reduce the instances of PIP among geriatric patients. This study aimed to verify the applicability of selected tools designed to assess prescribing appropriateness in elderly and to identify PIP in the study population. Based on pharmacist-led medication reviews that were performed among patients attending senior day-care centers based in Poland, aged 65 years and over, the following tools were applied for assessing the appropriateness of pharmacotherapy: PILA (patient-in-focus listing approach): STOPP/START v.2 and Amsterdam tool, DOLA (drug-oriented listing approach): PRISCUS list, and DOLA+: Beers criteria v.2019 and the EU(7)-PIM list–the criteria oriented on medications requiring indications. Fifty patients participated in the study. The prevalence of prescribing issues in the study population was very high and ranged from 28% to 100%, depending on the criteria applied. The highest number of PIP cases was identified based on the PILA criteria: STOPP/START v.2 (171, a mean of 3.4 PIP cases per patient), and the Amsterdam criteria (124, a mean of 2.5 PIP cases per patient). The lack of protective vaccinations against pneumococci identified using the START criterion was found to be the most common PIP (identified in 96% of the patients). Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) were identified as the most problematic group of medications. The STOPP, EU(7)-PIM and Beers criteria revealed cases of inappropriate prolonged PPI use, whereas the Amsterdam tool identified cases where PPIs should have been prescribed but were not. The highest number of PIP cases in the study population were identified with the PILA tools, and on this basis the most comprehensive assessment of pharmacotherapy appropriateness in geriatric patients was conducted. Further studies should be designed, covering a larger group of patients across different healthcare settings (inpatient and outpatient), with access to comprehensive patient data.

A machine learning-based risk warning platform for potentially inappropriate prescriptions for elderly patients with cardiovascular disease

Potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP), including potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), is a major risk factor for adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Establishing a risk warning model for PIP to screen high-risk patients and implementing targeted interventions would significantly reduce the occurrence of PIP and adverse drug events. Elderly patients with cardiovascular disease hospitalized at the Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital were included in the study. Information about PIP, PIM, and PPO was obtained by reviewing patient prescriptions according to the STOPP/START criteria (2nd edition). Data were divided into a training set and test set at a ratio of 8:2. Five sampling methods, three feature screening methods, and eighteen machine learning algorithms were used to handle data and establish risk warning models. A 10-fold cross-validation method was employed for internal validation in the training set, and the bootstrap method was used for external validation in the test set. The performances were assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and the risk warning platform was developed based on the best models. The contributions of features were interpreted using SHapley Additive ExPlanation (SHAP). A total of 404 patients were included in the study (318 [78.7%] with PIP; 112 [27.7%] with PIM; and 273 [67.6%] with PPO). After data sampling and feature selection, 15 datasets were obtained and 270 risk warning models were built based on them to predict PIP, PPO, and PIM, respectively. External validation showed that the AUCs of the best model for PIP, PPO, and PIM were 0.8341, 0.7007, and 0.7061, respectively. The results suggested that angina, number of medications, number of diseases, and age were the key factors in the PIP risk warning model. The risk warning platform was established to predict PIP, PIM, and PPO, which has acceptable accuracy, prediction performance, and potential clinical application perspective.

Nutritional Status and Potentially Inappropriate Medications in Elderly

(1) Background: The association between polypharmacy and malnutrition has been investigated in several studies; however, few of these specifically deepened the relationship between potentially inappropriate medication and malnutrition. With a descriptive approach, the primary aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of the nutritional status, assessed with the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), on potentially inappropriate medications (PIM), estimated 10-year survival, and the risk of adverse drug reactions in elderly patients; the secondary aim was to evaluate how the Screening Tool of Older People’s Prescriptions (STOPP), Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment (START), and BEERS 2019 criteria identify PIM compared to nutritional status. (2) Methods: In this study, 3091 subjects were enrolled, of whom 2748 (71.7%) were women; the median age was 80 years, with an interquartile range between 75 and 85 years of age. The subjects were assessed at the outpatient service for frail older people of the University Hospital of Cagliari. The study population was evaluated for their: MNA, Charlson Comorbidity Index, 10-year survival estimation, BEERS 2019, STOPP and START criteria, and ADR Risk scores. (3) Results: We divided the study population into three groups: MNA1 (MNA score ≥ 24), MNA2 (23.5−17), and MNA3 (<17): the severity of comorbidities, STOPP and START alerts, and BEERS 2019 criteria were significantly worse in both MNA2 and MNA3 compared to MNA1—with the exception of BEERS “non-anti-infective medications that should be avoided or have their dosage reduced with varying levels of kidney function in older adults”. Moreover, the estimated 10-year survival was significantly higher in MNA1 than in MNA2 and MNA3, and also in MNA2 compared to MNA3. Finally, the ADR risk scores were significantly lower in MNA1 than in MNA2 and MNA3. (4) Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the association between nutritional status and PIM checked with the BEERS 2019 criteria, and, for the first time, with the STOPP and START criteria.

Potentially Inappropriate Medication Among People With Dementia in China: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) among older outpatients (age ≥ 65 years old) with dementia in eight cities in China using the AGS Beers criteria of 2019 and to identify the potential factor increasing the number of PIMs.

Methods: A cross-sectional study about PIM in older outpatients with dementia from January 2020 to December 2020 was carried out in eight cities in China, Chengdu, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, and Hangzhou, distributing five major geographical regions in China (east, west, north, south, central). The diagnosis of dementia was based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to identify. Based on the 2019 AGS Beers criteria, the PIM prescriptions were evaluated. The identification of potential factors was completed using a binary logistic regression model.

Results: Of 18,624 older outpatients with dementia, 3.52% were detected with 1 PIM, and 35.91% received at least two PIMs. The antipsychotic drugs quetiapine and olanzapine were most frequently prescribed in patients with PIM, accounting for 8.01 and 7.36%, respectively. Logistic regression analyses showed that female patients with dementia aged &gt;80 years who took more medications were exposed easily to PIM use.

Conclusion: PIM use among older outpatients with dementia in China is highly prevalent, and the associated risk factors were increasing age, female sex, and number of medications. The most frequently prescribed drugs by clinicians were anpsychotropic drugs, which were much more frequent than other drugs.

Prescription of Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Cancer Outpatients With Multimorbidity: Concordance Among the Chinese, AGS/Beers, and STOPP Criteria

Objectives: Age-related multimorbidity is a general problem in older patients, which increases the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of PIM use in older Chinese cancer outpatients with multimorbidity based on the 2017 Chinese criteria, 2019 AGS/Beers criteria, and 2014 STOPP criteria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using electronic medical data from nine tertiary hospitals in Chengdu from January 2018 to December 2018. The 2017 Chinese criteria, 2019 AGS/Beers criteria, and 2014 STOPP criteria were used to evaluate the PIM status of older cancer outpatients (age ≥65 years), the concordance among the three PIM criteria was calculated using kappa tests, and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors associated with PIM use.

Results: A total of 6,160 cancer outpatient prescriptions were included in the study. The prevalence of PIM use was 34.37, 32.65, and 15.96%, according to the 2017 Chinese criteria, 2019 AGS/Beers criteria, and 2014 STOPP criteria, respectively. Furthermore, 62.43% of PIMs met table 2, 0.27% of PIMs met table 3, 34.68% of PIMs met table 4, 2.62% of PIMs met table 5 of 2019 AGS/Beers criteria, respectively. According to the three criteria, 84.93%, 82.25%, and 94.61% of older cancer outpatients had one PIM. The most frequently used PIM in cancer outpatients was estazolam. The Chinese criteria and the STOPP criteria indicated poor concordance, whereas the 2019 AGS/Beers criteria showed moderate concordance with the other two criteria. Logistic regression demonstrated that age ≥ 80, more diseases, polypharmacy, irrational use of drugs, and lung cancer were positively associated with PIM use in older cancer outpatients.

Conclusion: The prevalence of PIM use in Chinese older cancer outpatients with multimorbidity is high in China, and poor-to-moderate concordance among the three criteria was observed. Research on building PIM criteria for the older cancer population is necessary in the future.

A machine learning-based risk warning platform for potentially inappropriate prescriptions for elderly patients with cardiovascular disease

Potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP), including potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), is a major risk factor for adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Establishing a risk warning model for PIP to screen high-risk patients and implementing targeted interventions would significantly reduce the occurrence of PIP and adverse drug events. Elderly patients with cardiovascular disease hospitalized at the Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital were included in the study. Information about PIP, PIM, and PPO was obtained by reviewing patient prescriptions according to the STOPP/START criteria (2nd edition). Data were divided into a training set and test set at a ratio of 8:2. Five sampling methods, three feature screening methods, and eighteen machine learning algorithms were used to handle data and establish risk warning models. A 10-fold cross-validation method was employed for internal validation in the training set, and the bootstrap method was used for external validation in the test set. The performances were assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and the risk warning platform was developed based on the best models. The contributions of features were interpreted using SHapley Additive ExPlanation (SHAP). A total of 404 patients were included in the study (318 [78.7%] with PIP; 112 [27.7%] with PIM; and 273 [67.6%] with PPO). After data sampling and feature selection, 15 datasets were obtained and 270 risk warning models were built based on them to predict PIP, PPO, and PIM, respectively. External validation showed that the AUCs of the best model for PIP, PPO, and PIM were 0.8341, 0.7007, and 0.7061, respectively. The results suggested that angina, number of medications, number of diseases, and age were the key factors in the PIP risk warning model. The risk warning platform was established to predict PIP, PIM, and PPO, which has acceptable accuracy, prediction performance, and potential clinical application perspective.

Based on the Beers Criteria 2019 Edition Over-the-Counter Drugs Risk Confirmation of Elderly Chinese

OBJECTIVE

To explore OTC (over-the-counter drugs) in Chinese community pharmacies often causes ADE (adverse drug event) in elderly patients.

METHODS

Use the drugs in the Beers Criteria 2019 potentially inappropriate medication use (PIM) list as search terms. Search for drugs registered on the National Medical Products Administration of China website before December 2019 to determine the drugs containing PIM active ingredients and, then, search the Chinese OTC selection and conversion catalog database to determine it as OTC. Two databases are considered to be the same drug if they have the same drug composition.

RESULTS

The incidence of PIM in elderly patients in our community is relatively high, and the management of OTC may be related to risk factors. Statistics found that 71 OTC contained the Beers Criteria ingredients, including 65 chemicals and six Chinese patent medicines. Varieties of compound preparations accounted for 78.9% and cold medicines accounted for 47.9%.

CONCLUSIONS

The high detection rate of the Beers Criteria in Chinese OTC suggests that medical practitioners in China, especially community pharmacists, should pay attention to the rational use of OTC in the elderly.

Prescription of Potentially Inappropriate Medication in Older Inpatients of an Internal Medicine Ward: Concordance and Overlap Among the EU(7)-PIM List and Beers and STOPP Criteria

Background: Age-related comorbidities prone older adults to polypharmacy and to an increased risk of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use. This work aims to analyze the concordance and overlap among the EU(7)-PIM list, 2019 Beers criteria, and Screening Tool of Older Person’s Prescriptions (STOPP) version 2 criteria and also to analyze the prevalence of PIM.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on older inpatients of an internal medicine ward. Demographic, clinical, and pharmacological data were collected, during March 2020. After PIM identification by the EU(7)-PIM list, Beers criteria, and STOPP v2 criteria, the concordance and overlap between criteria were analyzed. A descriptive analysis was performed, and all the results with a p-value lower than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 616 older patients were included in the study whose median age was 85 (Q1–Q3) (78–89) years. Most of the older patients were male (51.6%), and the median (Q1–Q3) number of days of hospitalization was 17 (13–22) days. According to the EU(7)-PIM list, Beers criteria, and STOPP criteria, 79.7, 92.0, and 76.5% of older adults, respectively, used at least one PIM. A poor concordance (<63.4%) among criteria was observed. An association between PIM and the number of prescribed medicines was found in all applied criteria. Moreover, an association between the number of PIMs and diagnoses of endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases, mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders, and circulatory system diseases and days of hospitalization was observed according to Beers criteria, and that with diseases of the circulatory system and musculoskeletal system and connective tissue was observed according to STOPP criteria.

Conclusion: Despite the poor concordance between the EU(7)-PIM list, 2019 Beers, and STOPP v2 criteria, this work highlights the need for more studies in inpatients to develop strategies to facilitate the identification of PIM to decrease the high prevalence of PIM in hospitalized patients. The poor concordance among criteria also highlights the need to develop new tools adapting the existing criteria to medical ward inpatients.

Protocol of a tailored educational intervention for general practitioners on potentially inappropriate medications among older patients at community healthcare institutions in Beijing, China: a cluster-randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Prescribing of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) has become a prominent issue of public concern among elderly patients. However, no research has involved interventions on PIMs of Chinese elderly patients seeking care at primary healthcare. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored educational intervention programme for general practitioners (GPs), aiming at reducing the occurrence of PIMs in elderly patients.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a parallel group, controlled, cluster-randomised trial, with blinded evaluation of outcomes and data analysis, and un-blinded intervention. Twenty primary community healthcare stations (CHSs) in Dongcheng district in Beijing will be randomised to intervention and control arm with an allocation ratio of 1:1. GPs in CHSs randomised to the intervention arm will receive a two-component intervention: general training of PIMs and distribution of PIMs handbook. GPs in the control arm will assess and manage patients according to the institutions' routine practice. The primary outcome is the change in PIMs patient visit rate.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics committee approval of this study was obtained from Peking University Institution Review Board (IRB00001052-19074). The findings will be published in scientific and conference presentations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR2100047788.

Profile of Prescription Medication in an Internal Medicine Ward

Aging-related loss of resilience associated with the lack of evidence regarding the therapeutic efficacy of medicines can prompt a lack of efficacy of treatments and multiple prescriptions. This work aims to characterize the medication profile of Portuguese older adult inpatients and explore the relationship between hospitalization days and the consumption of medicines. A retrospective data analysis study in older patients who were admitted to a medical internal medicine ward during 2019. The median age of the 616 patients included was 85 years. During the hospitalized period, patients took on average 18.08 medicines. The most prescribed drugs belong to the subgroup of (a) anti-thrombotic agents (6.7%), with enoxaparin being the most prescribed, (b) other analgesics and antipyretics (6.6%), paracetamol being the most frequent, and (c) the Angiotensin Conversion Enzyme Inhibitor (ACE) (6.5%), captopril being the most frequent. The high number of prescriptions in older adults during their hospitalization suggests the need of changing therapeutics to achieve a better efficacy of treatment, which corroborates the hypothesis that the lack of scientific evidence concerning the risk/benefits of many medical therapies in older adults can make it difficult to achieve good clinical outcomes and promote the wastage of health resources.

Use of potentially inappropriate medications among older outpatients and inpatients in a tertiary care hospital in Malaysia

BACKGROUND

Older individuals are seemingly having more medical conditions, which predispose them to a greater risk of polypharmacy. Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), including those having anticholinergic and sedative properties, are common in their prescriptions, often associated with functional decline and negative health outcomes. Thus, this study reports proportions of inappropriate drugs and drug burden exposures and its correlation with patient-reported outcomes (PROs) among cognitively intact older adults admitted to a ward or visiting the outpatient clinic at a tertiary care hospital in Malaysia.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included data from 344 older (173 inpatients and 171 outpatients) patients, aged 60 years and above, through validated questionnaires. Medication appropriateness was assessed via Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) tool, whereas Beers and Screening Tool of Older Person's Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing (STOPP) criteria were used to evaluate PIMs and potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP), respectively. The Drug Burden Index (DBI) and polypharmacy, as well as PROs, included Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI), Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (Katz ADL) and Older People's Quality of Life (OPQOL) were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Overall, inpatients received significantly higher medications (6.90 ± 2.70 vs 4.49 ± 3.20) than outpatients. A significantly higher proportion of inpatients received at least one PIM (65% vs 57%) or PIP (57.4% vs 17.0%) and higher mean MAI score (1.76 ± 1.08 and 1.10 ± 0.34) and DBI score (2.67 ± 1.28 vs 1.49 ± 1.17) than outpatients. Inpatients had significantly higher total OPQOL (118.53 vs 79.95) and GFI score (5.44 vs 3.78) than outpatients. We only found significant correlations between GFI and DBI and total OPQOL and the number of PIMs.

CONCLUSIONS

Proportions of PIMs and DBI exposure were significantly higher in an inpatient setting. No significant correlations between exposures to inappropriate medications or drug burden and PROs were observed.

Utilization and Spending on Potentially Inappropriate Medications by US Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions using Multiple Medications

BACKGROUND

The utilization of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in older adults can lead to adverse events and increased healthcare costs. Polypharmacy, the concurrent utilization of multiple medications, is common in older adults with multiple chronic conditions.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the utilization and costs of PIMs in multimorbid older adults with polypharmacy over time.

METHODS

This retrospective cross-sectional study used linked Medicare claims and electronic health records from seven hospitals/medical centers in Massachusetts (2007-2014). Participants were ≥65 years old, had ≥2 chronic conditions (to define multimorbidity), and used drugs from ≥5 pharmaceutical classes for ≥90 days (to define polypharmacy). Chronic conditions were defined using the Chronic Conditions Indicator from the Agency for Health Research and Quality. PIMs were defined using the American Geriatrics Society 2019 version of the Beers criteria. We calculated the percentage of patients with ≥1 PIMs and the percentages of patients using different types of PIMs. We used logistic regression analyses to test the odds of taking ≥1 PIMs. We calculated mean costs spent on PIMs by dividing the costs spent on PIMs by the total medication cost.

RESULTS

≥69% of patients used ≥1 PIM. After adjusting for healthcare utilization, chronic conditions, medication intake, and demographic factors, female sex (2014: Odds ratio (OR)=1.27, 95%CI 1.25-1.30), age (2014: OR=0.92, 95%CI 0.90-0.93), and Hispanic ethnicity (2014: OR=1.41, 95%CI 1.27-1.56) were associated with PIM use. Gastrointestinal drugs and central nervous system drugs were the most commonly-used PIMs. In patients using ≥1 PIM, >10% of medication costs were spent on PIMs.

CONCLUSION

The utilization of PIMs in US older adults with multimorbidity and polypharmacy is high.

Potentially inappropriate medications in Chinese older adults: a comparison of two updated Beers criteria

Background Beers criteria have been into the mainstay to characterize the potentially inappropriate medication since its first publication, but the recent version, Beers 2019, is yet to be validated by clinical studies nationally. Objective To identify the prevalence and the predictors of potentially inappropriate medications in hospitalized geriatric patients based on the Beers 2019 and 2015 criteria. Setting Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, a 3000-bed tertiary care teaching hospital in China. Method We conducted a cross-sectional study from July 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Data from all hospitalized patients aged ≥ 65 years were collected from the hospital database. Inappropriate prescriptions were identified using the Beers 2019 criteria and the Beers 2015 criteria. Main outcome measure Prevalence Ratio (PR) and predictors of potentially inappropriate medications. Results The prevalence of inappropriate prescriptions based on the Beers 2019 criteria was 64.80%. This result was slightly higher than that of the Beers 2015 criteria (64.31%). The most commonly encountered inappropriate prescriptions identified using the two criteria were proton-pump inhibitors. The kappa coefficient was 0.826 (p < 0.001) indicating a strong coherence between the two criteria. The most important factor associated with inappropriate medications use was the number of prescribed drugs (PR 5.17, 95% CI 2.89-8.43; PR 4.58, 95% CI 1.93-7.25). Conclusion This study showed a high prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication in the Chinese geriatric population, which was associated with the number of prescribed drugs. The predictors identified in this research might help pharmacists to detect high-risk drugs and intervene in time.

Potentially inappropriate medications and potentially prescribing omissions in Chinese older patients: Comparison of two versions of STOPP/START

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs) in elderly Chinese patients identified by the Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment (STOPP/START) version 2 (v2) and version 1 (v1). The secondary objective was to analyse the risk factors associated with the PIMs/PPOs.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cross-sectional study, and all patients were aged ≥65 years and discharged from internal medical wards of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital in December 2018. STOPP/START v2 and STOPP/START v1 were used to detect PIMs/PPOs. The concordance between the two versions was calculated using kappa tests. A logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine variables independently associated with PIM/PPO use.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In the 662 patients included, the median age was 73 years and 361 were male (54.53%). PIMs were present in 36.1% and 47.7% of participants according to the STOPP v1 and STOPP v2, respectively. The prevalence of PPOs was 42.0% and 64.2% according to the START v1 and START v2, respectively. Drug prescribed without indication was the most common item in PIMs, whereas ACEIs were the drugs most frequently involved with PPOs according to the STOPP/START v2. Two versions of the STOPP criteria indicated a moderate coherence, whereas two versions of the START criteria showed poor accordance. Age (OR 1.029, 1.004-1.054), gender (OR 1.536, 1.103-2.138) and the number of prescribed medications (<5: OR 1; 5-9: OR 2.503, 1.173-5.342; ≥10: OR 4.324, 2.204-9.235) were associated factors with PIMs identified by the STOPP v2, whereas PPOs identified by the START v2 were independently associated with age (OR 1.039, 1.012-1.066), activities of daily living (ADL) score (OR 2.713, 1.818-4.048), the number of prescribed medications (<5: OR 1; 5-9: OR 2.704, 1.524-4.795; ≥10: OR 3.075, 1.704-5.549) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR 1.302, 1.110-1.529).

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

This study showed a high prevalence of PIMs/PPOs in aged internal medical ward inpatients in China, which was associated with various correlates. The STOPP/START v2 had a higher detection rate than v1.

Potentially inappropriate medications among elderly patients in community healthcare institutions in Beijing, China

PURPOSE

To evaluate potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) prevalence and predictors in community healthcare institutions (CHIs) for the elderly.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational study, deriving data of patients aged ≥60 from 66 CHIs in Beijing, 2014-2018. The system of Criteria of PIM for Older Adults in China was applied to identify PIMs. The primary outcome was the prevalence of visits with at least one PIM; secondary outcomes were the frequency and rate per thousand visits of specific PIMs. We used descriptive analysis and generalized linear models to analyzed PIMs and the predictors, and marginal effects methods were applied to estimate the mean adjusted PIMs prevalence.

RESULTS

Overall, 4 528 884 elderly patient visits from 2014 to 2018 were eligible for inclusion. A total of 719 757 PIMs were detected, with 14.1% of the visits contained at least one PIM. PIM prevalence was significantly correlated with age, number of prescribed medications and number of diagnoses. Overall, 6.0 per thousand elderly patients in CHIs were exposed to at least one high-risk PIM, while 117.5 per thousand were exposed to at least one low-risk PIM. In 2018, 20% of GPs were responsible for more than half of overall PIM visits.

CONCLUSION

Prescribing of PIMs for older adults is common in CHIs in China, especially for patients who are aged, having multiple medications and diagnostic diseases. Strategies should be developed to enhance prescribing quality for geriatric patients, with special targeting of doctors responsible for a high number of PIMs.

Prescribing potentially inappropriate medications for the elderly according to Beers Criteria: systematic review

The study aimed to perform a systematic review to identify and evaluate the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medicines (PIM) prescriptions for the elderly, according to Beers Criteria, in hospitalized elderly individuals aged 65 years or older. Five databases consulted: VHL; Cochrane Library; CINAHL; MEDLINE and Web of Science. Nineteen articles identified, selected based on eligibility criteria. The mean age was 78.2 years and the most used criterion for the identification of PIM for the elderly was Beers 2015 (57.9%). A total of 221,879 elderly received a prescription for PIM, the mean prevalence was 65.0%, for the gastrointestinal system (15.3%) and proton-pump inhibitors (27.7%) highlighted as the main class of medicine prescribed. It concluded that the Beers Criteria have made it possible to identify the high prevalence in the prescription of PIM. The results of this review may help in the decision making of health professionals, to avoid the administration of PIM and to propose best practices to ensure the safety of the elderly hospitalized.

Potentially inappropriate medications in Chinese community-dwelling older adults

Background There is a lack of data on the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in community-dwelling older adults in China. Objective To assess the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication in community dwelling older adults in China and to investigate risk factors associated with the use of such medication. Setting Ambulatory Care Clinic of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. Method A cross-sectional retrospective review of prescriptions for older patients (aged ≥ 65 years) was performed using the 2019 American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers Criteria and the 2017 Chinese Criteria. We only assessed potentialli inappropriate medications independently from diagnosis and drug-drug interactions. Each patient was classified as PIM-user or non-PIM-user, according to whether a patient took at least one potentially inappropriate medication. Main outcome measure Prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication based on the two criteria. Results A total of 8477 medications among 1874 elderly patients were examined over the study period from January 1 to December 31, 2018. The Chinese Criteria detected significantly more PIM-users than the AGS Beers Criteria (50.6% vs 35.0%, P < 0.001), and also a higher percentage of inappropriate medication in prescribed medications (14.7% vs 8.5%, P < 0.001). Benzodiazepines, anticholinergics, antipsychotics, and insulin were the most frequently prescribed classes by both criteria. Alprazolam (47.7%) was the most frequently found inappropriate medicine based on the 2019 AGS Beers Criteria compared to clopidogrel (42.2%) based on the Chinese Criteria. The number of medications was a significant risk factor to the use of potentially inappropriate medication in both criteria. Conclusion The prevalence of the use of potentially inappropriate medication in Chinese community-dwelling older adults is high, and explicit criteria are a useful tool to evaluate the prescription of such medication in the elderly.

The analysis of the use of potentially inappropriate medications in elderly in the Slovak Republic

Background The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) using explicit criteria has been well documented in European countries, however, there is a lack of evidence in the Slovak Republic. There are no specific guidelines and there is a lack of geriatricians in Slovakia. Higher use of PIM leads to greater healthcare services use as well as increases healthcare costs. Objective The aim of this study was to perform an evaluation of the availability and the actual use of PIM by geriatric patients in the nursing homes in Slovakia. Setting Together 459 residents ≥ 65 years living in nursing homes in the Slovak Republic were included for analysis of their drug therapy. Methods Retrospective analysis of medical records of patients' therapy for evaluation of PIM use. Identification of PIM was based on the Renom-Guiteras EU7 PIM list published in 2015. Main outcome measure Potentially inappropriate medications use. The presence of polypharmacy in patients. Results Inappropriate drug use according to EU7 PIM list was identified in 90.60% (416) patients. The mean number of PIM was 2.34 ± 0.07 PIM/patient/day. Polypharmacy (use of ≥ 5 drugs by patient daily) was found in 83% of all patients. The mean number of prescribed drugs was 8.32 ± 0.17 drugs/patient/day. Out of all 282 PIM listed in EU7 PIM list, there are 150 (53.19%) available on the Slovak market and 86 (30.50%) were used in patients. Patients using at least one PIM took two times more drugs compared to patients without PIM (8.77 ± 0.17 vs. 3.98 ± 0.39 drugs/patient/day, p < 0.001). The most common PIM were PPI (36% of patients), piracetam (17.2%) and alprazolam (16.80%). Conclusions The risk of PIM was almost 9.5 times higher if polypharmacy was present in geriatric patients (OR 9.51, 95% CI, 4.86 - 18.61, p < 0.001). There was a strong, positive correlation (ρ = 0.65) between the number of drugs and the number of PIM (p < 0.01). There was neither association between age/gender of patient and polypharmacy; nor age/gender of patient and presence of PIM. The lack of geriatricians and national guidelines for inappropriate prescribing results in alarmingly high use of PIM in the Slovak Republic.

Association between potentially inappropriate medications at discharge and unplanned readmissions among hospitalised elderly patients at a single centre in Japan: a prospective observational study

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use at admission and discharge among hospitalised elderly patients and evaluate the association between PIMs at discharge and unplanned readmission in Japan.

DESIGN

A prospective observational study conducted by using electronic medical records.

PARTICIPANTS

All consecutive patients aged 65 years or older who were admitted to the internal medicine ward were included. Patients who were electively admitted for diagnostic procedures were excluded.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was 30-day unplanned readmissions. The secondary outcome was the prevalence of any PIM use at admission and discharge. PIMs were defined based on the Beers Criteria. The association between any PIM use at discharge and the primary outcome was evaluated by using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Seven hundred thirty-nine eligible patients were included in this study. The median patient age was 82 years (IQR 74-88); 389 (52.6%) were women, and the median Charlson Comorbidity Index was 2 (IQR 0-3). The proportions of patients taking any PIMs at admission and discharge were 47.2% and 32.2%, respectively. Of all the patients, 39 (5.3%) were readmitted within 30 days after discharge for the index hospitalisation. The use of PIMs at discharge was not associated with an increased risk of 30-day readmission (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.46 to 1.87). This result did not change after adjusting for patient age, sex, number of medications, duration of hospital stay and comorbidities (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.36 to 1.66).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of any PIM use at discharge was high among hospitalised elderly patients in a Japanese hospital. Although the use of PIMs at discharge was not associated with an increased risk of unplanned readmission, given a lack of power of this study due to a low event rate, further studies investigating this association are needed.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

UMIN000027189.

Relationship Between Potentially Inappropriate Medications And The Risk Of Hospital Readmission And Death In Hospitalized Older Patients

Objective

This study aimed to compare the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) among hospitalized elderly patients using Beers and Chinese criteria and identify the correlation between PIMs and the risk of hospital readmission and death.

Methods

This study was conducted on geriatric patients aged ≥65 years at Beijing Fuxing Hospital between June 2015 and December 2017. The Beers criteria of 2015 and the Chinese criteria of 2017 were used to detect PIMs. Follow-ups were conducted for 12–36 months (or until patients’ death, if it came sooner). Cox proportional-hazards models were used to explore the correlations between PIM use and the risk of hospital readmission and death.

Results

Of 508 patients, 352 (69.3%) and 339 (66.7%) had at least one PIM identified using the Beers criteria and the Chinese criteria, respectively. Proton-pump inhibitors in the Beers criteria and clopidogrel in the Chinese criteria were the most leading PIMs. PIMs identified using the Beers criteria were a risk factor for the all-cause hospital readmission. After adjusting for age, gender, comorbidity, and so forth, PIM use was still an indicator of rehospitalization. PIM grouping defined using the Chinese criteria was not associated with hospital readmission. PIM grouping defined using either criteria was not associated with all-cause death.

Conclusion

The study showed a high prevalence of PIM use in China. PIMs defined using the Beers criteria increased the risk of hospital readmission. Clinicians should pay more attention to PIMs, carry out routine PIM assessment, and reduce adverse health outcomes in elderly patients.