Potentially Inappropriate Medicines Research Articles

Potentially inappropriate prescribing in older primary care patients.

ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to determine the rate of Potentially Inappropriate Medicines (PIM) and Potential Prescription Omissions (PPO) according to Screening Tool of Older Person's potentially inappropriate Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to the Right Treatment (STOPP/START) criteria.Study DesignA cross-sectional survey in community pharmacy.MethodA prospective cross-sectional study was performed, during March-May 2012, in five community pharmacies. Patients aged ≥65 years, who collected one or more prescribed medications, were asked to participate in the study, and an interview was scheduled. Patients were asked to provide their complete medical and biochemical record from their general practitioner.Results509 patients, mean age 74.8±6.5 years, 57.4% female, participated in the study. 164 PIM were identified in 139 patients (27.3%). The most common were: long-term use of long-acting benzodiazepines (20.7%), use of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) in patients with moderate-severe hypertension (20.1%), use of theophylline as monotherapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 15.9%) and use of aspirin without appropriate indication (15.2%). Patients with more than four prescpritions had a higher risk for PIM (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.97–4.14, p<0.001). There were 439 PPO, identified in 257, (50.5%) patients. Predictors for PPO were older age, presence of diabetes, myocardial infarction, osteoporosis, stroke, COPD and/or angina pectoris.ConclusionSTOPP/START criteria may be useful in identifying inappropriate prescribing and improving the current prescribing practices. Pharmacists should focus more on patients with more than four medications and/or patients with gout or pain accompanied with arterial hypertension because those patient may be at higher risk of PIM. Additionlly, patients older than 74 years with diabetes, osteoporosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, angina pectoris and/or COPD may have an increased risk of PPO.

PS-020 Pharmacotherapy optimisation in healthcare transitions

BackgroundMedicines reconciliation in healthcare transitions may help prevent adverse drug events and improve patient safety.PurposeTo describe and review the system for medicines reconciliation in order to improve drug treatment in...

CP-076 Effects of pharmacist interventions on inappropriate prescribing in a geriatric psychiatry unit

BackgroundA prospective observational study was conducted in 2012 in order to evaluate prescription of potentially inappropriate medicines (PIM) in a geriatric psychiatry unit (GPU) of Lausanne University Hospital.1 The STOPP/START...

Effects of Pharmacists' Interventions on Appropriateness of Prescribing and Evaluation of the Instruments' (MAI, STOPP and STARTs') Ability to Predict Hospitalization–Analyses from a Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundAppropriateness of prescribing can be assessed by various measures and screening instruments. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of pharmacists' interventions on appropriateness of prescribing in elderly patients, and to explore the relationship between these results and hospital care utilization during a 12-month follow-up period.MethodsThe study population from a previous randomized controlled study, in which the effects of a comprehensive pharmacist intervention on re-hospitalization was investigated, was used. The criteria from the instruments MAI, STOPP and START were applied retrospectively to the 368 study patients (intervention group (I) n = 182, control group (C) n = 186). The assessments were done on admission and at discharge to detect differences over time and between the groups. Hospital care consumption was recorded and the association between scores for appropriateness, and hospitalization was analysed.ResultsThe number of Potentially Inappropriate Medicines (PIMs) per patient as identified by STOPP was reduced for I but not for C (1.42 to 0.93 vs. 1.46 to 1.66 respectively, p<0.01). The number of Potential Prescription Omissions (PPOs) per patient as identified by START was reduced for I but not for C (0.36 to 0.09 vs. 0.42 to 0.45 respectively, p<0.001). The summated score for MAI was reduced for I but not for C (8.5 to 5.0 and 8.7 to 10.0 respectively, p<0.001). There was a positive association between scores for MAI and STOPP and drug-related readmissions (RR 8–9% and 30–34% respectively). No association was detected between the scores of the tools and total re-visits to hospital.ConclusionThe interventions significantly improved the appropriateness of prescribing for patients in the intervention group as evaluated by the instruments MAI, STOPP and START. High scores in MAI and STOPP were associated with a higher number of drug-related readmissions.

Potentially inappropriate medicines in a cohort of community‐dwelling older people in New Zealand

To examine independent factors associated with potentially inappropriate medicines (PIM) among 316 community-dwelling people aged ≥75 years living in Dunedin. People aged ≥75 years living in the community in Dunedin, New Zealand, taking ≥1 prescription medicines, randomly sampled from the electoral roll, were interviewed about their medicine-taking practices. A medication inventory comprising prescription and non-prescription medicines was taken from each participant at the time of the interview. Participants used a median of seven prescription medicines (range 1-19) and one non-prescription medicine (0-14). PIM were identified using the updated 2012 Beers criteria. PIM were identified in 42.7% (n = 135) older people. A total of 23 (7.2%) took two PIM, five (1.5%) took three PIM, four (1.2%) took four PIM and one (0.3%) took five PIM. Of the 184 total PIM identified, the top three drug classes were non-COX-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (24.0%), tricyclic antidepressants (16.8%) and benzodiazepines (14.6%). Polypharmacy (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-4.12) and the use of any psychotropic drug use (OR 22.05, 95% CI 5.80-83.84) were associated with PIM exposure. In the Poisson regression model, the risk of taking a PIM significantly decreased with age (OR 0.95, CI 0.91-0.99) and increased as the number of drugs prescribed increased (OR 1.11, CI 1.08-1.15). The prevalence of PIM is relatively high in community-dwelling older people aged ≥75 years living in New Zealand. PIM defined by the Beers criteria might be a useful initial screening tool, before efforts to stop unsafe medication use or replace with safer alternatives are initiated.

GRP-107 Is Weakness in Older Patients Caused by Inappropriate Drug Use?

BackgroundThe use of potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) is common among the older population. Inappropriate drugs as well as polypharmacy expose older people to a greater risk of adverse drug reactions,...

GRP-145 Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing in Elderly Fallers: A Review of Current Practise and the Impact of Pharmacist-Led Medicines Reviews

BackgroundFalls in the elderly represent a significant health burden in Ireland and internationally. Falls are consistently the most frequently reported patient incident in the MMU Hospital. Polypharmacy and inappropriate prescribing...

A comparison of the application of STOPP/START to patients’ drug lists with and without clinical information

A European screening tool (STOPP/START) has been formulated to identify the prescribing of potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs). Pharmacists working in community pharmacies could use STOPP/START as a guide to conducting medication use reviews; however, community pharmacists do not routinely have access to patients' clinical records. To compare the PIM and PPO detection rates from application of the STOPP/START criteria to patients' medication details alone with the detection rates from application of STOPP/START to information on patients' medications combined with clinical information. Community Pharmacy. Three pharmacists applied STOPP/START to 250 patient medication lists, containing information regarding dose, frequency and duration of treatment. The PIMs and PPOs identified by each pharmacist were compared with those identified by consensus agreement of two other pharmacists, who applied STOPP/START criteria using patients' full clinical records. The main outcome measures were: (1) PIM and PPO detection rates among pharmacists with access to patients' clinical information compared to PIM and PPO detection rates among pharmacists using patients' medication information only, and (2) the levels of agreement (calculated using Cohen's kappa statistic (k)) for the three most commonly identified PIMs and PPOs. Pharmacists with access to patients' clinical records identified significantly fewer PIMs than pharmacists without (p = 0.002). The three most commonly identified PIMs were benzodiazepines, proton pump inhibitors and duplicate drug classes, with kappa (k) statistic agreement ranges of 0.87-0.97, 0.60-0.68 and 0.39-0.85 respectively. PPOs were identified more often (p < 0.001) when clinical information was considered. The three most commonly identified PPOs were: bisphosphonates, β2-agonists and anti-platelets, with kappa (k) statistic agreement ranges of 0.89-1.0, 0.50-0.80 and 0.5-1.0 respectively. PIM detection is likely to be overestimated using STOPP and PPO detection underestimated using START when STOPP/START is used in isolation of clinical information. Agreement for a selected number of criteria for which clinical information is not required is good, suggesting that some criteria may be reliably deployed without clinical information during a medicines use review. However, for STOPP/START criteria to be deployed more effectively by pharmacists, access to the full clinical record is recommended.

STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment) as a pharmacy service

BackgroundIn 2009 National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older people in Ireland were written into Irish legislation by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). Standard 15 specifically...

Potentially Inappropriate Medications Defined by STOPP Criteria and the Risk of Adverse Drug Events in Older Hospitalized Patients

Previous studies have not demonstrated a consistent association between potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) in older patients as defined by Beers criteria and avoidable adverse drug events (ADEs). This study aimed to assess whether PIMs defined by new STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons' potentially inappropriate Prescriptions) criteria are significantly associated with ADEs in older people with acute illness. We prospectively studied 600 consecutive patients 65 years or older who were admitted with acute illness to a university teaching hospital over a 4-month interval. Potentially inappropriate medicines were defined by both Beers and STOPP criteria. Adverse drug events were defined by World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre criteria and verified by a local expert consensus panel, which also assessed whether ADEs were causal or contributory to current hospitalization. Hallas criteria defined ADE avoidability. We compared the proportions of patients taking Beers criteria PIMs and STOPP criteria PIMs with avoidable ADEs that were causal or contributory to admission. A total of 329 ADEs were detected in 158 of 600 patients (26.3%); 219 of 329 ADEs (66.6%) were considered causal or contributory to admission. Of the 219 ADEs, 151 (68.9%) considered causal or contributory to admission were avoidable or potentially avoidable. After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidity, dementia, baseline activities of daily living function, and number of medications, the likelihood of a serious avoidable ADE increased significantly when STOPP PIMs were prescribed (odds ratio, 1.847; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.506-2.264; P < .001); prescription of Beers criteria PIMs did not significantly increase ADE risk (odds ratio, 1.276; 95% CI, 0.945-1.722; P = .11). STOPP criteria PIMs, unlike Beers criteria PIMs, are significantly associated with avoidable ADEs in older people that cause or contribute to urgent hospitalization.

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in an acutely ill population of older patients admitted to six European hospitals

Potentially inappropriate prescribing is common in older people presenting to hospital with acute illness in Ireland. The aim of this study was to determine if this phenomenon is unique to Ireland or whether it is a more widespread problem in hospitals across Europe. Prospective data were collected from 900 consecutive older patients admitted to six university teaching hospitals (150 patients per centre) in Geneva (Switzerland), Madrid (Spain), Oostende (Belgium), Perugia (Italy), Prague (Czech Republic) and Cork (Ireland). Age, gender, comorbidity, cognitive status, prescription medicines taken before admission and baseline haematological, biochemical and electrocardiographic data were recorded. STOPP and Beers' criteria were applied to detect potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs). START criteria were applied to detect potentially inappropriate prescribing omissions (PPOs). The overall PIM prevalence rate was 51.3% using STOPP criteria, varying from 34.7% in Prague to 77.3% in Geneva, and 30.4% using Beer's criteria, varying from 22.7% in Prague to 43.3% in Geneva. Using START criteria, the overall PPO prevalence rate was 59.4%, ranging from 51.3% in Cork to 72.7% in Perugia. Polypharmacy predicted the presence of PIMs using STOPP criteria [with >10 medications: odds ratio (OR) 7.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.30-12.12, p < 0.001] and Beers' criteria (with >10 medications: OR 4.87, 95% CI 3.00-7.90, p < 0.001). Increasing co-morbidity (Charlson Index ≥2) and age ≥85years significantly predicted PPOs. Potentially inappropriate drug prescribing and the omission of beneficial drugs are highly prevalent in acutely ill hospitalized older people in six European centres.

Prevalence and outcomes of use of potentially inappropriate medicines in older people: cohort study stratified by residence in nursing home or in the community

ObjectivesTo compare the prevalence of use of potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) between older patients living in their own homes versus those living in nursing or residential homes, and to test...

STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons' potentially inappropriate Prescriptions): application to acutely ill elderly patients and comparison with Beers' criteria

STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons' potentially inappropriate Prescriptions) is a new, systems-defined medicine review tool. We compared the performance of STOPP to that of established Beers' criteria in detecting potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) and related adverse drug events (ADEs) in older patients presenting for hospital admission. we prospectively studied 715 consecutive acute admissions to a university teaching hospital. Diagnoses, reason for admission and concurrent medications were recorded. STOPP and Beers' criteria were applied. PIMs with clear causal connection or contribution to the principal reason for admission were determined. median patient age (interquartile range) was 77 (72-82) years. Median number of prescription medicines was 6 (range 0-21). STOPP identified 336 PIMs affecting 247 patients (35%), of whom one-third (n = 82) presented with an associated ADE. Beers' criteria identified 226 PIMs affecting 177 patients (25%), of whom 43 presented with an associated ADE. STOPP-related PIMs contributed to 11.5% of all admissions. Beers' criteria-related PIMs contributed to significantly fewer admissions (6%). STOPP criteria identified a significantly higher proportion of patients requiring hospitalisation as a result of PIM-related adverse events than Beers' criteria. This finding has significant implications for hospital geriatric practice.