Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions in primary care and correlates with mild cognitive impairment.
Pharm Pract (Granada) 2020;
18:2017. [PMID:
32922574 PMCID:
PMC7470240 DOI:
10.18549/pharmpract.2020.3.2017]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background:
Potentially inappropriate prescribing is clearly associated with adverse
health consequences among older people. Nevertheless, scarce evidence exists
regarding the prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIP) in
Albania, a Western Balkans country.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of PIP among older
Albanian patients in primary care and to determine the associated
sociodemographic and medical factors, including the presence of mild
cognitive impairment (MCI).
Methods:
Cross-sectional study in two primary healthcare centers located in two
different cities of Albania, a middle-income country in the Western Balkans.
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool was applied to evaluate MCI.
PIPs were assessed by two trained pharmacists using the Beers criteria 2019
update. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted for possible
risk factors predicting PIP in the study population.
Results:
At least one PIP was identified among 40.23 % of the participants (174
older patients) and 10.35 % had more than one PIP. MCI was detected
among 79.31 % of the patients. The most commonly represented drug
groups in PIP were diuretics (24.71 %), benzodiazepines in the
presence of MCI and antidepressants (both 8.62 %). The lack of
electrolytes monitoring was the most common reason for PIP. According to the
multivariate analysis, the only statistically significant association
observed was between PIP and number of drugs prescribed [three to four drugs
(OR 3.34; 95% CI 1.65:6.76), five or more than five drugs (OR 4.08;
95% CI 1.42:11.69)].
Conclusions:
About four out of 10 older Albanian patients experience PIP in primary care.
Further studies are needed for a comprehensive estimation of the prevalence
and factors associated with PIP, particularly among elderly with mild
cognitive impairment.
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