PDG2 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN POTENTIALLY INAPPROPRIATE MEDICATIONS AND HOSPITAL ENCOUNTERS AMONG OLDER ADULTS: A META-ANALYSIS

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use and hospital encounters among older adults. We searched Medline and Scopus from January 1991 to April 2019 using keywords and MeSH terms related to PIMs. Studies were included if they compared the odds of hospital encounters between PIM and non-PIM groups. Hospital encounters could be either hospital admissions or emergency department (ED) visits. Using random-effects meta-analytic methods, we calculated the pooled odds of any hospital encounter in PIM versus non-PIM users with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 21 studies evaluating 3,137,188 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The proportion of patients on PIMs was >20% in most (n=18) studies, median follow up was 12 months and the mean age of patients ranged from 72 to 86 years. PIM use was associated with increased odds of both hospital admissions (OR=1.52; 95%CI=1.40 to 1.65) and ER visits (OR=1.72, 95%CI= 1.33 to 2.24). PIM use among older patients was associated with more hospital encounters. Interventions aimed at decreasing PIM use may also decrease healthcare resource utilization.