33 PREVALENCE OF FALLS RISK-INCREASING DRUGS (FRIDS) DEFINED BY STOPPFALL CRITERIA AMONG MULTI-MORBID OLDER PATIENTS PRESENTING TO HOSPITAL WITH FALLS

Abstract

Abstract Background Several drug classes e.g. antidepressants, hypnotics significantly the risk of falls in older people. As an intervention in several studies, withdrawal of Falls Risk-Increasing Drugs (FRIDs) has led to a significantly decreased incidence of falls and injuries in older people. Recently, an explicit deprescribing tool focusing on FRIDs known as STOPPFall (Screening Tool of Older Persons Prescriptions with high Fall risk) has been validated. STOPPFall consists of 14 drug classes, most of which are psychotropics, known to increase falls risk in older people. There are no prospective studies of STOPPFall-defined prevalence of FRIDs in the literature. Methods We undertook a prospective study of 200 consecutively enrolled patients aged ≥65 years (mean age ± SD: 80.9±7.4 years) presenting with falls to the emergency department and Geriatric Medicine OPD clinics between August 2021 to February 2022. We screened for STOPPFall criteria FRIDs in this cohort with additional data collected to define age, sex and comorbidity status. Results STOPPFall FRIDs were detected in 59.5% of this cohort which was predominantly female (68%). Comparison of falls incidence between the youngest subgroup (65-74 years) and the oldest subgroup (>85 years) showed that patients aged >85 years fell repeatedly (i.e. ≥ 2 falls in the previous year) more than younger fallers (35.5% vs 21%). Of the 14 drug classes in STOPPFall criteria, antidepressants were the most prevalent FRID category (24%), followed by diuretics (17%). There was a significant positive correlation between the number of reported falls and the number of STOPPFall FRIDs prescribed (R=0.17; p=.016). Almost two-thirds of fallers were prescribed two or more STOPPFall drugs. Conclusion STOPPFall medications are highly prevalent among older people presenting to hospital with falls. STOPPFall represents an important tool for attending doctors to identify and deprescribe medications contributing to falls in older people.