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Rafhi E, Al-Juhaishi M, Stupans I, Stevens JE, Park JS, Wang KN. The influence of patients' beliefs about medicines and the relationship with suboptimal medicine use in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review of quantitative studies. Int J Clin Pharm 2024:10.1007/s11096-024-01727-9. [PMID: 38704779 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-024-01727-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medication use in older adults is increasing, therefore, reducing the risk of suboptimal medicine use is imperative in achieving optimal therapeutic outcomes. Research suggests that factors such as personal beliefs and beliefs about medicines may be associated with non-adherence and inappropriate medicine use. AIM To systematically review and identify quantitative research on the influence of beliefs about medicines and the relationship with suboptimal medicine use in older adults. METHOD Searches were conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO for quantitative studies (inception to March 2023). INCLUSION CRITERIA (1) exposure: participants' beliefs (personal, cultural, and medication-related), (2) outcomes: polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medicines use, or non-adherence, and (3) participants: community-dwelling adults 65 years or above. Study selection, data extraction and quality appraisal (Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist) were completed independently by two investigators. Data were combined in a narrative synthesis and presented in a summary of findings table. RESULTS Nineteen articles were included: 15 cross-sectional and four cohort studies. Outcomes of included papers were as follows; adherence (n = 18) and potentially inappropriate medicine use (n = 1). Ten studies found stronger beliefs in the necessity of medicines and/or fewer concerns led to better adherence, with one paper contradicting these findings. Three studies did not find associations between adherence and beliefs. One study confirmed an association between unnecessary drug use and a lack of belief in a "powerful other" (e.g. doctor). CONCLUSION Further investigation is necessary to (1) ascertain the importance of necessity or concern beliefs in fostering adherence and, (2) examine the influence of beliefs on polypharmacy and inappropriate medicine use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman Rafhi
- Pharmacy, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia.
| | - Malath Al-Juhaishi
- Pharmacy, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia
| | - Ieva Stupans
- Pharmacy, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia
| | - Julie E Stevens
- Pharmacy, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | - Joon Soo Park
- School of Allied Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
- School of Engineering, Information Technology and Physical Sciences, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, VIC, 3350, Australia
| | - Kate N Wang
- Pharmacy, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia
- School of Allied Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
- Pharmacy Department, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
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Rodrigues DA, Herdeiro MT, Mateos-Campos R, Figueiras A, Roque F. Comparing AGS Beers 2019, STOPP version 2, and EU(7)-PIM list in Portuguese older adults in primary health care. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2024; 80:603-612. [PMID: 38319349 PMCID: PMC10937751 DOI: 10.1007/s00228-024-03633-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aims to identify PIM prevalence in older adults according to the 2019 Beers criteria, Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions version 2 (STOPP v2) criteria, and the Portuguese EU(7)-PIM list and also to analyze the concordance between these criteria. METHODS A retrospective study was conducted among 1200 Portuguese older adults (≥ 65 years old), users of primary health care. Demographic, clinical, and pharmacological data were collected concerning the period between April 2021 and August 2022. A comparative analysis was performed between the three PIM identification criteria, and the concordance was determined according to the Lin concordance correlation coefficient. RESULTS The mean age was 76.3 (SD 7.7) years old and 57.6% of the older adults were females. Our findings indicate varying prevalence rates among these criteria with 63.8% (95% CI 61.0-66.6%), 66.8% (95% CI 64.1-69.5%), and 50.1% (95% CI 47.2-53.0%) of the older adults take at least one PIM according to the EU(7)-PIM list, Beers 2019, and STOPP v2 criteria, respectively. The highest prevalence observed was for proton pump inhibitors according to EU(7)-PIM list (30.1%, 95% CI 27.6-32.9) and Beers criteria (30.1%, 95% CI 27.6-32.9) and alprazolam according to STOPP v2 criteria (10.1%, 95% CI 8.4-11.9%). A poor concordance between criteria was observed (< 0.834). The highest concordance coefficient was found between the EU(7)-PIM list and the Beers criteria (0.833), and the lowest between the EU(7)-PIM list and STOPP criteria (0.735). CONCLUSION This study reveals varying prevalence rates of PIM in older adults, as assessed by different criteria, and highlights the need for targeted interventions and improved prescribing practices. In the future, studies should focus on the occurrence of negative outcomes in older adults associated with PIM consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela A Rodrigues
- Research Laboratory on Epidemiology and Population Health, Polytechnic of Guarda (IPG), 6300-559, Guarda, Portugal
- Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior (CICS-UBI), 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal
- PhD Student, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Maria Teresa Herdeiro
- Department of Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Ramona Mateos-Campos
- Area of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Adolfo Figueiras
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15702, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health-CIBERESP), 28001, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fátima Roque
- Research Laboratory on Epidemiology and Population Health, Polytechnic of Guarda (IPG), 6300-559, Guarda, Portugal.
- Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior (CICS-UBI), 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal.
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Bužančić I, Držaić M, Kummer I, Ortner Hadžiabdić M, Brkić J, Fialová D. Deprescribing potential of commonly used medications among community-dwelling older adults: insights from a pharmacist's geriatric assessment. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6235. [PMID: 38485992 PMCID: PMC10940601 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56780-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Pharmacist's geriatric assessment can provide valuable insights into potential deprescribing targets, while including important information on various health-related domains. Data collected from a geriatric assessment questionnaire, for 388 patients, from the Croatian cohort of the EuroAgeism H2020 ESR 7 international project, along with guideline-based deprescribing criteria, were used to analyse potentially inappropriate prescribing of four medication groups (benzodiazepines (BZN), proton pump inhibitors (PPI), opioids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID)), and to assess the deprescribing potential. Binary logistic regression was used to explore the effects of age, gender, number of medicines and diagnoses, self-reported health, frailty score, and healthcare utilization on the likelihood of needing deprescribing. More than half of participants (n = 216, 55.2%) are candidates for deprescribing, with 31.1% of PPI, 74.8% of NSAID, 75% of opioid, and 96.1% of BZN users meeting at least one criterion. Most common criteria for deprescribing were inappropriately long use and safety concerns. Women (aOR = 2.58; p < 0.001), those reporting poor self-reported health (aOR = 5.14; p < 0.001), and those exposed to polypharmacy (aOR = 1.29; p < 0.001) had higher odds of needing to have medicines deprescribed. The high rate of deprescribing potential warrants prompt action to increase patient safety and decrease polypharmacy. Pharmacist's geriatric assessment and deprescribing-focused medication review could be used to lead a personalised approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iva Bužančić
- City Pharmacies Zagreb, Kralja Držislava 6, Zagreb, Croatia
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Center for Applied Pharmacy, University of Zagreb, Ante Kovačića 1, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Margita Držaić
- City Pharmacies Zagreb, Kralja Držislava 6, Zagreb, Croatia
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Center for Applied Pharmacy, University of Zagreb, Ante Kovačića 1, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ingrid Kummer
- Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203/8, Hradec Králové, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Maja Ortner Hadžiabdić
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Center for Applied Pharmacy, University of Zagreb, Ante Kovačića 1, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Jovana Brkić
- Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203/8, Hradec Králové, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Social Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Legislation, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe Street, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Daniela Fialová
- Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203/8, Hradec Králové, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, 1st Faculty of Medicine in Prague, Charles University, Kateřinská 32, Prague, Czech Republic
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Gareri P, Gallelli L, Gareri I, Rania V, Palleria C, De Sarro G. Deprescribing in Older Poly-Treated Patients Affected with Dementia. Geriatrics (Basel) 2024; 9:28. [PMID: 38525745 PMCID: PMC10961769 DOI: 10.3390/geriatrics9020028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Polypharmacy is an important issue in older patients affected by dementia because they are very vulnerable to the side effects of drugs'. Between October 2021 and September 2022, we randomly assessed 205 old-aged outpatients. The study was carried out in a Center for Dementia in collaboration with a university center. The primary outcomes were: (1) deprescribing inappropriate drugs through the Beers and STOPP&START criteria; (2) assessing duplicate drugs and the risk of iatrogenic damage due to drug-drug and drug-disease interactions. Overall, 69 men and 136 women (mean age 82.7 ± 7.4 years) were assessed. Of these, 91 patients were home care patients and 114 were outpatient. The average number of the drugs used in the sample was 9.4 drugs per patient; after the first visit and the consequent deprescribing process, the average dropped to 8.7 drugs per patient (p = 0.04). Overall, 74 potentially inappropriate drugs were used (36.1%). Of these, long half-life benzodiazepines (8.8%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (3.4%), tricyclic antidepressants (3.4%), first-generation antihistamines (1.4%), anticholinergics (11.7%), antiplatelet drugs (i.e., ticlopidine) (1.4%), prokinetics in chronic use (1.4%), digoxin (>0.125 mg/day) (1.4%), antiarrhythmics (i.e., amiodarone) (0.97%), and α-blockers (1.9%) were included. The so-called "duplicate" drugs were overall 26 (12.7%). In total, ten potentially dangerous prescriptions were found for possible interactions (4.8%). We underline the importance of checking all the drugs taken periodically and discontinuing drugs with the lowest benefit-to-harm ratio and the lowest probability of adverse reactions due to withdrawal. Computer tools and adequately trained teams (doctors, nurses, and pharmacists) could identify, treat, and prevent possible drug interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Gareri
- Department of Frailty, Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia (CDCD) Catanzaro Lido—ASP Catanzaro, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Luca Gallelli
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, “Renato Dulbecco” University Hospital, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (L.G.); (V.R.); (G.D.S.)
- Department of Health Science, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (I.G.); (C.P.)
- Research Center FAS@UMG, Department of Health Science, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Ilaria Gareri
- Department of Health Science, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (I.G.); (C.P.)
| | - Vincenzo Rania
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, “Renato Dulbecco” University Hospital, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (L.G.); (V.R.); (G.D.S.)
| | - Caterina Palleria
- Department of Health Science, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (I.G.); (C.P.)
- Research Center FAS@UMG, Department of Health Science, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Giovambattista De Sarro
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, “Renato Dulbecco” University Hospital, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (L.G.); (V.R.); (G.D.S.)
- Department of Health Science, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (I.G.); (C.P.)
- Research Center FAS@UMG, Department of Health Science, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
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K J, Rao M, YN S, Thunga G, N R, Sudhakar C, Sanatombi Devi E. Determinants of Medication Non-Adherence Among the Elderly with Co-Existing Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Rural Areas of Udupi District in Karnataka, India. Patient Prefer Adherence 2023; 17:1641-1656. [PMID: 37465058 PMCID: PMC10351531 DOI: 10.2147/ppa.s380784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Medication adherence is a crucial component in the management of elderly with co-morbid chronic conditions. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the determinants of medication non-adherence among rural elderly with co-morbid chronic conditions of hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in India. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional study adopted the probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling technique to find the determinants of medication non-adherence among elderly residing in rural coverage areas of five randomly selected primary health centres (PHC) in Udupi district, Karnataka, India. A total of 360 elderly (72 samples from each cluster) who met the inclusion criteria and consented were interviewed using predesigned prevalidated and standardized or reliable tools. The data were coded and entered in SPSS version 16.0 and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results The study found that 55.6% (n=200) of rural elderly with co-morbid conditions HTN and T2DM were non-adherent to their medications and established Spearman correlation coefficient rank (r) value between undesirable person-related factors (r=-0.444); good family support (including financial support) (r=0.185); poor accessibility to healthcare facility (r=-0.209); detrimental medication-related factors including high cost of medication (r=-0.237) were found to be significant at 0.05 level of confidence (p < 0.05). Further, the study depicted that the chi-square test (χ2) was identified to be significantly associated (p<0.05) with a variable such as education, knowledge, number of illnesses and impairments, vision, memory, and physical impairments. Conclusion Medication adherence could be improved among rural elderly with co-morbid conditions by identifying and addressing the determinants at the earliest. Further, it is vital to identify the suitable intervention program to address these avoidable problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeyalakshmi K
- Department of Community Health Nursing, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Mahadev Rao
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Shashidhara YN
- Department of Community Health Nursing, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Girish Thunga
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Ravishankar N
- Department of Biostatistics, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Christopher Sudhakar
- Department of Mental Health Nursing & Director - Quality, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Elsa Sanatombi Devi
- Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
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Dixe MDA, Pinho J, Pereira F, Verloo H, Meyer-Massetti C, Pereira SG. Patterns of Medication Management and Associated Medical and Clinical Features among Home-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Central Portugal. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1701. [PMID: 36767067 PMCID: PMC9914088 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Ageing is frequently associated with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The present study aimed to identify the current medication management patterns and the profiles of home-dwelling older adults and to find any association with their conditions, including frailty and cognitive impairment. Within the scope of this cross-sectional study, 112 older adults living in the community were assessed via face-to-face structured interviews. Frailty, cognitive status, medication management and clinical and sociodemographic variables were evaluated. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated. The mean participant age was 76.6 ± 7.1 years, 53.6% of participants were women, and 40.2% of participants lived alone. More than half were classified as having frailty (58.9%), almost one-fifth (19.6%) presented with a moderate cognitive impairment had more than one disease, and 60.7% were polymedicated. No associations were found between polymedication and medication self-management, the use of over-the-counter medications, living alone, having a poor understanding of pharmacological therapy and/or pathology, or having more than one prescriber. Self-management was associated with age, the number of medications, frailty and cognitive status. Binary logistic regressions showed that cognitive impairment had statistically significant differences with medication management, having a poor understanding of pharmacological therapy and/or pathology, having one prescriber and the use of medications not prescribed by physicians. Interventions to prevent medication-related problems in home-dwelling older adults are recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria dos Anjos Dixe
- Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology, Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
- School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
| | - Joana Pinho
- Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology, Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
- School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
| | - Filipa Pereira
- School of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, 2800 Sion, Switzerland
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
| | - Henk Verloo
- School of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, 2800 Sion, Switzerland
- Service of Old Age Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carla Meyer-Massetti
- Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, General Internal Medicine Clinic, University Hospital of Bern (Inselspital), 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Institute for Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sónia Gonçalves Pereira
- Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology, Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
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Omar AS, Kaddoura R. Insight into appropriate medication prescribing for elderly in the COVID-19 era. World J Clin Cases 2022; 10:12056-12058. [PMID: 36405296 PMCID: PMC9669855 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i32.12056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) complicates clinical management in elderly population. There is an additional need to properly treat and monitor elderly COVID-19 patients. This paper discusses the inappropriate medication prescribing in the elderly and suggests an updated valid assessment tool considering COVID-19 and its treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amr S Omar
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hamad Medical Coporation, Doha 3050, Qatar
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Beni Suef Faculty of Medicine, Beni Suef 62511, Egypt
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical Center in Qatar, Doha 3050, Qatar
| | - Rasha Kaddoura
- Department of Pharmacy, Heart Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar
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Galimberti F, Casula M, Scotti L, Olmastroni E, Ferrante D, Ucciero A, Tragni E, Catapano AL, Barone-Adesi F. Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing among Elderly Outpatients: Evaluation of Temporal Trends 2012-2018 in Piedmont, Italy. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19063612. [PMID: 35329299 PMCID: PMC8953164 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19063612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Pharmacological intervention is one of the cornerstones in the treatment and prevention of disease in modern healthcare. However, a large number of drugs are often prescribed and used inappropriately, especially in elderly patients. We aimed at investigating the annual prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) among older outpatients using administrative healthcare databases of the Piedmont Region (Italy) over a seven-year period (2012–2018). We included all Piedmont outpatients aged 65 years or older with at least one drug prescription per year. Polypharmacy and the prevalence of PIPs according to the ERD list explicit tool were measured on an annual basis. A range between 976,398 (in 2012) and 1,066,389 (in 2018) elderly were evaluated. Among them, the number of subjects with at least one PIP decreased from 418,537 in 2012 to 339,764 in 2018; the prevalence significantly reduced by ~25% over the study period. The stratified analyses by age groups and sex also confirmed the downward trend and identified several differences in the most prevalent inappropriately prescribed drugs. Overall, despite a reduction in PIP prevalence, one out of three older outpatients was still exposed to inappropriateness, highlighting the extensive need for intervention to improve prescribing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manuela Casula
- IRCCS MultiMedica, Sesto S. Giovanni, 20099 Milan, Italy; (F.G.); (A.L.C.)
- Epidemiology and Preventive Pharmacology Service (SEFAP), Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy; (E.O.); (E.T.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Lorenza Scotti
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, 28100 Novara, Italy; (L.S.); (D.F.); (A.U.); (F.B.-A.)
| | - Elena Olmastroni
- Epidemiology and Preventive Pharmacology Service (SEFAP), Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy; (E.O.); (E.T.)
| | - Daniela Ferrante
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, 28100 Novara, Italy; (L.S.); (D.F.); (A.U.); (F.B.-A.)
| | - Andrealuna Ucciero
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, 28100 Novara, Italy; (L.S.); (D.F.); (A.U.); (F.B.-A.)
| | - Elena Tragni
- Epidemiology and Preventive Pharmacology Service (SEFAP), Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy; (E.O.); (E.T.)
| | - Alberico Luigi Catapano
- IRCCS MultiMedica, Sesto S. Giovanni, 20099 Milan, Italy; (F.G.); (A.L.C.)
- Epidemiology and Preventive Pharmacology Service (SEFAP), Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy; (E.O.); (E.T.)
| | - Francesco Barone-Adesi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, 28100 Novara, Italy; (L.S.); (D.F.); (A.U.); (F.B.-A.)
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