Screening Tool To Alert Doctors To Right Treatment Research Articles

Potentially inappropriate prescriptions and potential prescription omissions in older people living with HIV.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) and potential prescription omissions (PPOs) in a Spanish cohort of people living with HIV (PLWH) aged ≥65 years and to identify risk factors for the presence of PIPs and PPOs. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted across 10 public hospitals in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Spain. Clinical and demographic data were cross-checked against hospital and community pharmacy dispensation registries. PIPs and PPOs were assessed using the American Geriatrics Society (AGS)/Beers and Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions (STOPP)/Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment (START) criteria. Risk factors for PIPs and PPOs and agreement between AGS/Beers and STOPP/START criteria were statistically analysed. This study included 313 PLWH (median age 72 years), of whom 80.5% were men. PIP prevalence rates were 29.4% and 44.4% based on the AGS/Beers and STOPP criteria, respectively. The concordance between AGS/Beers and STOPP criteria was moderate. Benzodiazepines and proton pump inhibitors were the chronic comedications most commonly involved in PIPs. PPOs were observed in 61.4% of the patients. The leading omissions were insufficient influenza and pneumococcal vaccine coverage and inadequate bone health-related treatments. The number of chronic comedications, female sex, neuropsychiatric disorders, and cancer diagnosis were risk factors for PIPs, whereas osteopenia and osteoporosis were risk factors for PPOs. A high prevalence of PIPs and PPOs was observed in our cohort of older PLWH. These findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive medication reviews in this population to reduce inappropriate medication use and address their specific and underserved therapeutic needs.

Multidisciplinary care of older adults in the emergency department to influence deprescribing in older adults: a cohort study

AbstractBackgroundInappropriate polypharmacy in older adults is a major health problem associated with poor clinical and health service outcomes.AimWe aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a geriatric pharmacist service in the emergency department (ED) identifying potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP).MethodBetween 1 June 2018–31 May 2019, adults ≥70 years of age presenting to ED were reviewed by the Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention (GEDI) pharmacist. The intervention consisted of pharmacist‐led medication review using Screening Tool of Older Person’s Prescriptions (STOPP) and Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) criteria, patient education on recommendations, an updated medication list, and a letter sent to their general practitioner (GP) electronically. For eligible consenting older adults, telephone calls were made at least 28 days post‐discharge to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. A survey with GPs after 6 months determined how recommendations were perceived. Ethics approval was granted by the Metro North Health B Human Research Ethics Committee (reference no: HREC/18QCH/69–1245) and research governance approval was granted by the study site (Cairns Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, reference no: SSA/Q12345/40673). Informed consent was obtained from all participants via a project information sheet and either the completion of a written consent form (patient participants), verbal consent before interview (GP participants), or implied consent via email responses (GP participants). Routinely collected health data obtained for this study were de‐identified and data included in the follow‐up study was de‐identified.ResultsThe GEDI pharmacist reviewed 1214 older adults with an average age of 81 years. The median number of prescribed medications was 10 and 36.8% of older adults had STOPP recommendations. When contacted (n = 35), of those enrolled in the follow‐up study, 71% had stated their medications changed, 40% reported all STOPP medications had ceased, and 69% had START medications commenced, suggesting the recommendations provided were clinically appropriate and readily accepted by their GPs.ConclusionIntegration of a geriatric pharmacist demonstrated ample opportunities to address PIP in targeted older adults presenting to ED. This study shows that the pharmacist was able to promote appropriate prescribing through patient education and recommendations communicated to the GP on discharge.

Personal Continuity and Appropriate Prescribing in Primary Care.

Personal continuity between patient and physician is a core value of primary care. Although previous studies suggest that personal continuity is associated with fewer potentially inappropriate prescriptions, evidence on continuity and prescribing in primary care is scarce. We aimed to determine the association between personal continuity and potentially inappropriate prescriptions, which encompasses potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), by family physicians among older patients. We conducted an observational cohort study using routine care data from patients enlisted in 48 Dutch family practices from 2013 to 2018. All 25,854 patients aged 65 years and older having at least 5 contacts with their practice in 6 years were included. We calculated personal continuity using 3 established measures: the usual provider of care measure, the Bice-Boxerman Index, and the Herfindahl Index. We used the Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions (STOPP) and the Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) specific to the Netherlands version 2 criteria to calculate the prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions. To assess associations, we conducted multilevel negative binomial regression analyses, with and without adjustment for number of chronic conditions, age, and sex. The patients' mean (SD) values for the usual provider of care measure, the Bice-Boxerman Continuity of Care Index, and the Herfindahl Index were 0.70 (0.19), 0.55 (0.24), and 0.59 (0.22), respectively. In our population, 72.2% and 74.3% of patients had at least 1 PIM and PPO, respectively; 30.9% and 34.2% had at least 3 PIMs and PPOs, respectively. All 3 measures of personal continuity were positively and significantly associated with fewer potentially inappropriate prescriptions. A higher level of personal continuity is associated with more appropriate prescribing. Increasing personal continuity may improve the quality of prescriptions and reduce harmful consequences.

What Is the Medication Iatrogenic Risk in Elderly Outpatients for Chronic Pain?

Medication iatrogeny is a major public health problem that increases as the population ages. Therapeutic escalation to control pain and associated disorders could increase polypharmacy and iatrogeny. This study aimed to characterize the medication iatrogenic risk of elderly outpatients with chronic pain. This was a prospective cohort study recruiting patients 65 years or older with chronic pain. A medication iatrogenic assessment was performed based on the best possible medication history to record risk of adverse drug events (Trivalle score), STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions)/START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment) criteria, and potentially inappropriate medications. We recruited 100 patients with an average age of 71 years. The median number of medications before pain consultation was 8 (interquartile range = [7;11]). Trivalle score showed that 43% of patients were at moderate or high medication iatrogenic risk. Before consultation, 79% and 75% of patients had at least 1 STOPP or START criterion on their orders, respectively. One-third of orders mentioned benzodiazepine prescribed for more than 4 weeks. At least 1 potentially inappropriate medication was prescribed for 54% of the patients, with a median of 1 per patient (interquartile range = [0;1]). A combination of several anticholinergics was prescribed in 23% of patients. Elderly patients with chronic pain are at risk of medication iatrogeny. Preventive measures as multidisciplinary medication review could reduce the iatrogenic risk in these outpatients.This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04006444 on July 3, 2019.

Use of an Electronic Clinical Decision Support System in Primary Care to Assess Inappropriate Polypharmacy in Young Seniors With Multimorbidity: Observational, Descriptive, Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundMultimorbidity is a global health problem that is usually associated with polypharmacy, which increases the risk of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP). PIP entails higher hospitalization rates and mortality and increased usage of services provided by the health system. Tools exist to improve prescription practices and decrease PIP, including screening tools and explicit criteria that can be applied in an automated manner.ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the prevalence of PIP in primary care consultations among patients aged 65-75 years with multimorbidity and polypharmacy, detected by an electronic clinical decision support system (ECDSS) following the 2015 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria, the European Screening Tool of Older Person’s Prescription (STOPP), and the Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START).MethodsThis was an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. The sample included 593 community-dwelling adults aged 65-75 years (henceforth called young seniors), with multimorbidity (≥3 diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 medications), who had visited their primary care doctor at least once over the last year at 1 of the 38 health care centers participating in the Multimorbidity and Polypharmacy in Primary Care (Multi-PAP) trial. Sociodemographic data, clinical and pharmacological treatment variables, and PIP, as detected by 1 ECDSS, were recorded. A multivariate logistic regression model with robust estimators was built to assess the factors affecting PIP according to the STOPP criteria.ResultsPIP was detected in 57.0% (338/593; 95% CI 53-61) and 72.8% (432/593; 95% CI 69.3-76.4) of the patients according to the STOPP criteria and the Beers Criteria, respectively, whereas 42.8% (254/593; 95% CI 38.9-46.8) of the patients partially met the START criteria. The most frequently detected PIPs were benzodiazepines (BZD) intake for more than 4 weeks (217/593, 36.6%) using the STOPP version 2 and the prolonged use of proton pump inhibitors (269/593, 45.4%) using the 2015 Beers Criteria. Being a woman (odds ratio [OR] 1.43, 95% CI 1.01-2.01; P=.04), taking a greater number of medicines (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.14-1.37; P<.04), working in the primary sector (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.25-2.93; P=.003), and being prescribed drugs for the central nervous system (OR 3.75, 95% CI 2.45-5.76; P<.001) were related to a higher frequency of PIP.ConclusionsThere is a high prevalence of PIP in primary care as detected by an ECDSS in community-dwelling young seniors with comorbidity and polypharmacy. The specific PIP criteria defined by this study are consistent with the current literature. This ECDSS can be useful for supervising prescriptions in primary health care consultations.

Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions in Ambulatory Elderly Patients Living in Rural Areas of Romania Using STOPP/START (Version 2) Criteria.

BackgroundRational use of medications and monitoring of prescriptions in elderly patients is important to decrease the number and duration of hospitalizations, emergency medical consultations, mortality, as well as medical costs.PurposeTo identify potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescription omissions (PPOs), and determine their prevalence based on the Screening Tool of Older Persons’ potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) v2 criteria and Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) v2 criteria for patients aged >65 years.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in two rural counties in Romania based on electronic prescriptions for chronic conditions (EPCCs) issued from 30 days to 90 days by a specialist or general practitioner. Collected EPCCs were evaluated by an interdisciplinary team of specialists based on 26 STOPP v2 criteria and 10 START v2 criteria.ResultsPIM prevalence was 25.80% and PPO prevalence was 41.72% for 646 EPCCs. The mean age of patients was 75 years and the mean number of drugs per EPCC was four. The most frequently identified PIMs were treatment duration (6.65%), theophylline administration (5.72%), drug indication (4.64%), cyclo-oxygenase-2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (1.39%), and zopiclone prescription (0.77%). Statins (24.76%), beta-blockers (8.04%), and beta-2 agonist/antimuscarinic bronchodilators (5.88%) were the most frequently identified PPOs.ConclusionPPOs were more prevalent than PIMs for elderly populations living in the two rural counties in Romania we studied. Health practitioners (family physicians, specialists, and pharmacists) should focus on prophylactic and curative considerations when prescribing agents to decrease the morbidity and mortality of elderly rural Romanian patients.

Atención farmacéutica de adultos mayores. Aplicación de los criterios STOPP-START

IntroductionDrug-related problems can be caused by potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP), one of the most used tools for its identification are the STOPP (Older Persons’ potentially inappropriate Prescriptions) - START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment) criteria. The objective of this study is to determine PIP in older adults who receive pharmaceutical care in the Pharmacotherapy Optimization Unit (POU)-Rosario. Materials and methodsPharmacoepidemiological observational study, which evaluates the quality of medication use. Workplace: POU-Rosario. Population under study: adults over 60 years of age, who received pharmacotherapy follow-up during the period March 2017 to February 2018. PIPs were identified using the STOPP-START criteria, 2014 version; selecting the most appropriate criteria to assess outpatient pharmacotherapy. Prevalence of PIP and amount of PIP per active principle were estimated. Results50 patients older than 60 years received pharmacotherapy follow-up in the POU; 47 patients (94.0%) had at least one PIP corresponding to a STOPP criterion; 17 STOPP criteria were found among the 41 initially selected, leading to 145 PIPs identified. And 7 START criteria among the 11 initially selected, leading to 50 PIPs identified. Medications with a higher amount of PIPs: benzodiazepines and proton pump inhibitors. ConclusionsThis study allowed the identification of a high prevalence of PIP. The data obtained show the usefulness of these criteria. The STOPP-START criteria have been included to support decision making during pharmacotherapy follow-up to propose pharmaceutical interventions, in order to enhance pharmacotherapy. These activities contribute to patient safety, a dimension of health quality.

Introduction to Tools for Assessing Medication Use Appropriateness in Older Adults

The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use is high, presenting a serious public health problem. In older adults, PIM increases the risks of adverse drug events, falls, hospitalizations, and emergency treatments as well as related medical expenses. The currently popular criteria for determining medication appropriateness and several common medication appropriateness assessment tools are introduced in this paper, including the Medication Appropriateness Index, the Beers criteria series, the Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions (STOPP) and the Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) series, Thailand criteria, and the PIM-Taiwan criteria, with the goal of facilitating their application by medical professionals in clinical practice.

Use of the STOPP and START criteria to address polypharmacy for elderly patients in University Hospital Lewisham Clinical Decisions Unit

Background: Polypharmacy and inappropriate prescribing are risk factors for adverse drug reactions, which commonly cause complications in older people. The STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons’ Prescriptions)/START (Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment) criteria are screening tools, which aim to improve prescribing in the elderly. Objectives: The aim was to improve prescribing, using the STOPP/START criteria, for patients aged 65 and above, who were admitted to the Clinical Decisions Unit at University Hospital Lewisham. We focused on the most common prescribing errors in clinical decision unit, an emergency medicine department. Methods: We reviewed all patients aged 65 and above admitted to the Clinical Decisions Unit in September. Data was collected from clinical documentation and archived drug charts. This pilot study of 114 patients revealed the most common prescribing errors, of which 8 were STOPP and 11 were START criteria. A plan–do–study–act methodology was implemented over 1 month, involving presentations, emails and posters. Prescribing patterns were then reviewed over 4 weeks in December in 111 patients. Results: Focusing on the 8 STOPP and 11 START criteria, there was a significant reduction in the proportion of patients with at least one STOPP error (17.5% to 9%, p = 0.04). However, the decrease in the percentage of patients with at least one START error was insignificant (24.6% to 20.7%, p = 0.24). Conclusion: By identifying problematic areas of prescribing and using targeted interventions, the proportion of STOPP errors made in clinical decision unit reduced significantly. This study highlights the prevalence of prescription errors in the clinical decision unit and the impact of using screening tools to reduce incorrect prescribing.

Prescriber Implementation of STOPP/START Recommendations for Hospitalised Older Adults: A Comparison of a Pharmacist Approach and a Physician Approach.

Two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted simultaneously in the same Irish university teaching hospital have shown that provision of Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions (STOPP)/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) recommendations to attending prescribers by a physician or a pharmacist can reduce in-hospital adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in older adults (≥ 65years). The aims of this study were to compare the prescriber implementation rates of STOPP/START recommendations between the physician approach and the pharmacist approach in these two RCTs and to provide a narrative summary of the comparable clinical outcomes. Data were extracted from the two RCT published papers and their associated computerised databases to calculate the percentage prescriber implementation rates for the STOPP/START recommendations. The Chi-square test was used to quantify the differences in prescriber implementation rates, with differences considered statistically significant where p < 0.05. Prescriber implementation rates of the STOPP and START recommendations made by the physician were 81.2% and 87.4% respectively, significantly higher than those made by the pharmacist (39.2% and 29.5% respectively), p < 0.0001. A greater absolute risk reduction in patients with ADRs was shown with the physician's intervention compared to the pharmacist's intervention (9.3% vs 6.8%). This study shows that the methods of communication and the medium through which the STOPP/START recommendations are delivered significantly affect their implementation. Non-implementation of some pharmacist-delivered recommendations may be contributing to preventable ADRs in older adults. Thus, future research should aim to identify the factors influencing prescriber implementation of pharmacist recommendations in order to inform the design of more effective pharmacist interventions in optimising older patients' pharmacotherapy.

The impact of medication review with version 2 STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment) criteria in a French nursing home: a 3-month follow-up study.

Background:Improving medication appropriateness is a priority of French national campaigns in nursing homes. A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a medication review in a French nursing home with a 3-month follow up.Method:A medication review was conducted in 2015 using version 2 STOPP and START criteria. The number and type of drugs meeting a STOPP that were reintroduced and the number and type of drug meeting a START that were stopped during follow up were measured. An expert committee adjudicated whether 3-month hospitalizations and deaths were related to medication review. The impact of medication review on the cost related to drug consumption was calculated for 3 months.Results:The 52 residents (age 84 ± 9 years, 83% female) fulfilled, on average, 2 ± 1.4 of the STOPP criteria and 0.7 ± 0.6 of the START criteria. A total of 101 drugs were stopped and 34 drugs were started. Five deaths occurred during follow up and were judged as not related to medication review. Five drugs stopped were reintroduced in five residents for a rebound effect or a symptom occurrence and one resident had stopped a START medication (aspirin) for a minor adverse drug reaction. At 3 months, a gain of 20.21 ± 31.34 euros per resident was observed.Conclusion:The medication review using version 2 STOPP and START criteria and involving the physician in charge seems useful for detecting and correcting inappropriate prescribing in a nursing home.

Drug-related problems identified during medication review before and after the introduction of a clinical decision support system.

To facilitate the identification of drug-related problems (DRPs) during medication review, several tools have been developed. Explicit criteria, like Beers criteria or STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Peoples' Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment) criteria, can easily be integrated into a clinical decision support system (CDSS). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adding a CDSS to medication review software on identifying and solving DRPs in daily pharmacy practice. Pre- to post-analysis of clinical medication reviews (CMRs) performed by 121 pharmacies in 2012 and 2013, before and after the introduction of CDSS into medication review software. Mean number of DRPs per patient, type of DRPs and their resolution rates were compared in the pharmacies pre- and post-CDSS using paired t tests. In total, 9151 DRPs were identified in 3100 patients pre-CDSS and 15268 DRPs were identified in 4303 patients post-CDSS. The mean number of identified DRPs per patient (aggregated per pharmacy) was higher after the introduction of CDSS (3.2 vs 3.6 P<.01). The resolution rate was lower post-CDSS (50% vs 44%; P<.01), which overall resulted in 1.6 resolved DRPs per patient in both groups (P=.93). After the introduction of CDSS, 41% of DRPs were detected by the CDSS. The resolution rate of DRPs generated by CDSS was lower than of DRPs identified without the help of CDSS (29% vs 55%; P<.01). The two most prevalent DRP types were "Overtreatment" and "Suboptimal therapy" in both groups. The prevalence of "Overtreatment" was equal in both groups (mean DRPs per patient: 0.84 vs 0.77; P=.22), and "Suboptimal therapy" was more frequently identified post-CDSS (mean DRPs per patient: 0.54 vs 1.1; P<.01). The introduction of CDSS to medication review software generated additional DRPs with a lower resolution rate. Structural assessment including a patient interview elicited the most relevant DRPs. Further development of CDSS with more specific alerts is needed to be clinical relevant.

Number of medications or number of diseases: what influences underprescribing?

An increasing number of older adults suffer from multimorbidity and receive multiple medications. Despite that, underprescribing of potentially beneficial medications is widespread in this population. Our aim was to examine influence of polypharmacy and multimorbidity on the presence of prescribing omissions (PO) in general practice attenders. We conducted a cross-sectional study of older adults attending general practices in Slovenia who were regularly prescribed at least one medication. Patients' data was entered into a computer application evaluating the presence of START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment) criteria for PO. Demographic data, CIRS-G (Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for geriatric patients) questionnaire, number of medications, and healthcare utilization data were also collected. We defined polypharmacy as five or more concurrent medications. Five hundred three patients were enrolled, 258 (56.7%) female. The average age was 74.9 and average value of CIRS-G index 1.48 (±0.6). Patients took on average 5.6 medications and 216 (42.9%) patients had at least one PO according to START criteria. In bivariate analysis, there was a significant association between age, number of medications, polypharmacy and CIRS-G index measures, and presence of PO. In multivariate analysis, only age and number of affected CIRS-G categories significantly predicted PO (p<0.05). Older patients with more affected CIRS-G categories were at higher risk for PO. Polypharmacy was not an independent risk factor for the presence of PO. A possible reason is that in multimorbid older people, physicians and patients set individual priorities to treatment instead of treating all diseases and conditions.

Potentially inappropriate prescribing to older patients in primary care in the Netherlands: a retrospective longitudinal study.

potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) is associated with adverse health effects in older patients. PIP comprises prescription of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs). to estimate the prevalence of PIMs and PPOs among older patients in primary care. retrospective longitudinal study. routinely collected data of 182,000 patients of 49 general practitioners (GPs) gathered in the GPs' database of the Academic Medical Center of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. in each studied year, all patients who were aged 65 years and older at 1st January. the prevalence of patients with at least one PIM and patients with at least one PPO was measured in 8 subsequent years (2007-14) by application of the Screening Tool of Older Persons potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP)/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) criteria. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate trends in the prevalence of PIMs and PPOs over the years. on average, 4,537 patients were included per investigated year. The mean prevalence of ≥1 PIM was 34.7% (range 34.0-35.6%) and of ≥1 PPO 84.8% (range 77.4-90.6%). Examples were the prescription of salicylates without a proper indication and the absence of a therapeutically indicated vitamin D prescription. The prevalence of ≥1 PPOs showed a statistically significant decrease over the investigated years (OR 0.87, P < 0.001), whereas the prevalence of PIMs did not change significantly. this study underscores the need for more attention to medication prescribing to older patients. The prevalence of PIP among older patients in primary care is substantial and the prevalence of PIMs did not decrease over time.

Long-Term Outcomes of Medication Intervention Using the Screening Tool of Older Persons Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment Criteria.

To compare 24-month outcomes of participants of a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) assigned to undergo a medication intervention of orally communicated recommendations based on Screening Tool of Older Persons potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) and Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment (START) (intervention group) with outcomes of those assigned to undergo written medication review (control group). Retrospective cohort study. Chronic care geriatric facility. Of 359 participants from a prospective RCT conducted between April 2012 and September 2013, 306 were evaluable for another 12-month follow-up. Outcomes at 24-month follow-up included quality of prescribing (assessed according to STOPP/START), hospitalizations, falls, costs of medications, and all-cause mortality. Outcomes were compared with those reported at the beginning (baseline) and end (12-month follow-up) of the RCT. There was a significant rise in potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) (P = .01) and potentially prescriptions omissions (PPOs) (P < .001) in the intervention group between 12 and 24 months, although the prevalence of PIPs was significantly lower in the intervention group (33.3%) than the control group (48.4%) at 24-month follow-up (P = .02). Costs of medications were significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group (P < .001) at 24-month follow-up. The average number of falls in both groups dropped significantly between baseline and study closure (P = .04 and P = .008, respectively). There was no significant difference in hospitalizations and mortality between the two groups at 24-month follow-up. The effect of an orally communicated medication intervention with the STOPP/START criteria on falls was maintained over time. Direct communication between pharmacists and prescribing physicians is more efficient than written medication review and is recommended every 6 months in geriatric facilities.

Pharmacy Practice: Exploring the Relationship between SSRIs and Sodium Levels in an Older Adult Population

I was asked to examine the presence of hyponatremia (&lt;130 mEq/L) in older patients (&gt;65 years) taking Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) at Moses Cone Hospital. The presence of hyponatremia in older patients using SSRIs indicates potentially inappropriate use according to the STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons’ Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment) criteria6. This study was done to assess possible risk factors for potentially inappropriate use of SSRIs by older patients at Moses Cone Hospital. Data collected included the patient’s sex, age, sodium level, and the date the sodium level was drawn. Data also included the specific SSRI and the starting date for the SSRI. The study showed no relationship between age, sex, SSRI prescribed and hyponatremia. However, patients that were prescribed an SSRI for less than a year were more at risk for hyponatremia. Therefore, in order to minimize the risk of hyponatremia, additional monitoring may need to be added at SSRI initiation, three months, six months, and one year, especially in patients with other medications that may lower sodium levels.&#x0D; Conflict of Interest&#x0D; We declare no conflicts of interest or financial interests that the authors or members of their immediate families have in any product or service discussed in the manuscript, including grants (pending or received), employment, gifts, stock holdings or options, honoraria, consultancies, expert testimony, patents and royalties.&#x0D; &#x0D; Type: Student Project

Potentially inappropriate medications in a sample of Portuguese nursing home residents: Does the choice of screening tools matter?

Background Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are often found in high proportion among the elderly population. The STOPP criteria have been suggested to detect more PIMs in European elderly than the Beers criteria. Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PIMs and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs) in a sample of Portuguese nursing homes residents. Setting Four elderly facilities in mainland Portugal Method A descriptive cross-sectional study was used. Elderly polypharmacy patients were included in the study and their medication (registered in patient clinical records) analysed using the Beers (2012 original version and 2008 version adapted to Portugal), STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment) criteria. Data were analysed using univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics, considering a confidence interval of 95%. Prevalence of PIMs and PPOs. Results The sample included 161 individuals, with a mean age of 84.7years (SD=6.35), 68.9% being female. A total of 807 PIMs and 90 PPOs were identified through the application of the three set of criteria. The prevalence of PIMs using the most recent version of the Beers criteria was 85.1 and 42.1% for independent and dependent of diagnosis, respectively. The Portuguese adaptation of this same tool indicated a lower prevalence of PIMs, 60.3 and 16.7%, respectively. The prevalence of PIMs using the STOPP criteria was 75.4%, whilst the prevalence of PPOs, using START, was 42.9%. There were significant differences in the mean number of PIMs detected depending on the tool used. (p<0.001). Conclusions The application of the studied criteria in an elderly sample enabled the identification of a notable amount of PIMs and PPOs, indicating there is room for improving the quality of care. The variation in prevalence indicates careful choice of the tool is a prerequisite for engaging in medication review. Using START/STOPP criteria enabled a more holistic approach to the quality of prescribing in the elderly, highlighting low levels of cardiovascular risk prevention and abuse of psychotropic drugs, aside with system failures largely preventable by electronic prescribing and alert generation.

Potentially inappropriate prescribing according to STOPP and START and adverse outcomes in community-dwelling older people: a prospective cohort study.

This study aims to determine if potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) is associated with increased healthcare utilization, functional decline and reduced quality of life (QoL) in a community-dwelling older cohort. This prospective cohort study included participants aged ≥65 years from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) with linked administrative pharmacy claims data who were followed up after 2years. PIP was defined by the Screening Tool for Older Persons Prescriptions (STOPP) and Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START). The association with number of emergency department (ED) visits and GP visits reported over 12 months was analyzed using multivariate negative binomial regression adjusting for confounders. Marginal structural models investigated the presence of time-dependent confounding. Of participants followed up (n=1753), PIP was detected in 57% by STOPP and 41.8% by START, 21.7% reported an ED visit and 96.1% visited a GP (median 4, IQR 2.5-6). Those with any STOPP criterion had higher rates of ED visits (adjusted incident rate ratio (IRR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02, 1.66) and GP visits (IRR 1.15, 95%CI 1.06, 1.24). Patients with two or more START criteria had significantly more ED visits (IRR 1.45, 95%CI 1.03, 2.04) and GP visits (IRR 1.13, 95%CI 1.01, 1.27) than people with no criteria. Adjusting for time-dependent confounding did not affect the findings. Both STOPP and START were independently associated with increased healthcare utilization and START was also related to functional decline and QoL. Optimizing prescribing to reduce PIP may provide an improvement in patient outcomes.

Medication review using a Systematic Tool to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing (STRIP) in adults with an intellectual disability: A pilot study

A Systematic Tool to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing (STRIP), which includes the Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) and the Screening Tool of Older Peoples’ Prescriptions (STOPP), has recently been developed in the Netherlands for older patients with polypharmacy in the general population. Active involvement of the patient is part of this systematic multidisciplinary medication review. Although annual review of pharmacotherapy is recommended for people with an intellectual disability (ID), a specific tool for this population is not yet available. Besides, active involvement can be compromised by ID. Therefore, the objective of this observational pilot study was to evaluate the process of medication review using STRIP in adults with an ID living in a centralized or dependent setting and the identification of drug-related problems using this tool. The study was performed in three residential care organizations for ID. In each organization nine clients with polypharmacy were selected by an investigator (a physician in training to become a specialized physician for individuals with an ID) for a review using STRIP. Clients as well as their legal representatives (usually a family member) and professional caregivers were invited to participate. Reviews were performed by an investigator together with a pharmacist. First, to evaluate the process time-investments of the investigator and the pharmacist were described. Besides, the proportion of reviews in which a client and/or his legal representative participated was calculated as well as the proportion of professional caregivers that participated. Second, to evaluate the identification of drug-related problems using STRIP, the proportion of clients with at least one drug-related problem was calculated. Mean time investment was 130minutes for the investigator and 90minutes for the pharmacist. The client and/or a legal representatives were present during 25 of 27 reviews (93%). All 27 professional caregivers (100%) were involved. For every client included at least one drug-related problem was identified. In total 127 drug-related problems were detected, mainly potentially inappropriate or unnecessary drugs. After six months, 15.7% of the interventions were actually implemented.Medication review using STRIP seems feasible in adults with an ID and identifies drug-related problems. However, in this pilot study the implementation rate of suggested interventions was low. To improve the implementation rate, the treating physician should be involved in the review process. Besides, specific adaptations to STRIP to address drug-related problems specific for this population are required.

Potentially inappropriate prescribing according to the STOPP/START criteria for older adults.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the prevalence and possible predictors of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potentially prescription omissions (PPOs) according to the Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions (STOPP) and Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) criteria in geriatric patients. A total of 374 patients (140 male, 234 female) aged ≥65years were included. Comprehensive demographic and clinical data including age, gender, current diagnoses/medications, comorbid diseases and medical problems were noted. There were 154 (41.2%) patients with at least one PIM. Most common PIMs were proton pump inhibitors for peptic ulcer disease (9.6%), calcium-channel blockers (6.4%) and anticholinergic/antispasmodic drugs (5.9%) in chronic constipation. There were 274 (73.3%) patients with at least one PPO. Most common PPOs were calcium-vitamin D supplement in osteoporosis (OP) (39.6%), statin (22.5%) and antiplatelet therapies (16.0%) in diabetes mellitus (DM) with cardiovascular risk factors. PIM was independently associated with female gender (OR=2.21, p=0.003), number of medications (OR=1.35, p<0.001), Katz scores of daily life activities (OR=0.87, p=0.013) and OP (OR=0.29, p<0.001). PPO was independently associated with age (OR=1.06, p=0.009), Geriatric Depression Scale score (OR=1.20, p=0.007), DM (OR=6.50, p<0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR=5.29, p=0.010), number of medications (OR=0.88, p=0.019), and incontinence (OR=0.39, p=0.043). High prevalence of PIMs and PPOs were found in geriatric patients. Number of medications, female gender, and dependency were associated with PIM. Age, higher scores of Geriatric Depression Scale, DM, and COPD were related with PPOs.