Characteristics of inappropriate multiple medication use in older urological outpatients

ObjectivesTo investigate polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in elderly patients visiting the urology department for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed digital medical records of individuals over the age of 65 who visited the urology department for LUTS. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 hospitals located in South Korea, between September 2017 and December 2017. All prescribed medications were analyzed using electronic medical records. The updated 2015 Beers criteria were used to identify and assess the appropriateness of the prescribed drugs in elderly patients.ResultsWe analyzed a total of 2143 patients aged over 65 years from 10 institutions. The mean age was 74.2 ± 6.26 years (65–97), 1634 (76.2%) were men. Patients took a mean of 6.48 ± 2.46 medications (range 0–18), and polypharmacy was found in 1762 patients (82.2%). The number of patients who received PIMs at least once was 1579 (73.7%). The average number of PIMs used per patient was 1.31 ± 1.25 (0–7). PIM use ratio was 18.9 ± 0.15% (0–67%). The number of chronic diseases, and concurrent medication and polypharmacy were predictive factors associated with PIM use.ConclusionOur multi-institutional results show that a substantial proportion of elderly patients took PIMs when visiting the urology department. Factors associated with PIMs were the number of chronic diseases and polypharmacy. Medication use in elderly patients, especially in urology, should be monitored carefully.     

Inappropriate medication administration to the acutely ill elderly: a nationwide emergency department study, 1992-2000

OBJECTIVES: To determine the national rate and trend of inappropriate medication administration to elderly emergency department (ED) patients. Secondary objectives were to identify risk factors for receiving an inappropriate medication and to determine whether administration is sometimes justified based on diagnosis. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of ED visits in the 1992-2000 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Inappropriate medications identified using Beers' 1997 explicit criteria. SETTING: EDs of U.S. noninstitutionalized general and short-stay hospitals. Participants: ED survey patients aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Magnitude and rate of administration of 36 medications. RESULTS: Inappropriate medications were administered in an estimated 16.1 million (95% confidence interval (CI)=14.9-17.3 million) or 12.6% (95% CI=11.6-13.5%) of elderly ED visits from 1992 to 2000. The rate of inappropriate administration was unchanged throughout the study period (P=.40). Six drugs accounted for 70.8% of inappropriate administration: promethazine (22.2%), meperidine (18.0%), propoxyphene (17.2%), hydroxyzine (10.3%), diphenhydramine (7.1%), and diazepam (6.0%). In multivariate analysis, number of ED medications was the strongest predictor, with an odds ratio for two to three medications of 6.0 (95% CI=5.3-6.7) and for four to six medications of 8.1 (95% CI=7.2-9.2). Diagnoses indicating potentially appropriate uses of these medications were rarely present. For example, only 42.4% of patients receiving diphenhydramine and 7.4% receiving hydroxyzine were diagnosed with an allergic process. CONCLUSION: Elderly ED patients are frequently administered inappropriate medications. Potentially appropriate uses of generally inappropriate drugs cannot account for such administrations. Inappropriate administration rates remain unchanged despite the 1997 publication of explicit criteria.     

Potentially inappropriate medications in older individuals with diabetes: A population-based study in Quebec,Canada

AimTo study the population-based prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) among older individuals with diabetes, and to identify factors associated with their use.MethodsWe used the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System (QICDSS) database to conduct a population-based cohort study of individuals with diabetes ≥66 years between April 1st, 2014 and March 31st, 2015. PIMs were defined according to the 2015 Beers Criteria. Factors associated with PIM use were identified using robust Poisson regression models. Risk ratios (RR) and 99% confidence intervals (99%CI) were calculated.ResultsMore than half (56%) of the 286,962 older individuals with diabetes used at least one PIM over a year. Benzodiazepines (41%), proton pump inhibitors (27%) and endocrine medication (mainly glibenclamide) (25%) were the most common PIMs used. Factors associated with PIM use included female sex (RR: 1.17; 99%CI: 1.16–1.18), and comorbidities such as schizophrenia (1.48; 1.45–1.51), anxiety disorders (1.34; 1.33–1.35) and Alzheimer's disease (1.14; 1.13–1.25). Risks of using PIMs increased both with increasing comorbidities and number of medications.ConclusionPIM use is highly prevalent among older individuals with diabetes. Interventions to promote optimal medication use should particularly target individuals with comorbidities and polypharmacy who are most vulnerable to adverse drug events.     

老年人不宜使用的药物

不适当药物的使用是导致老年人发病和死亡的一个重要原因。文章介绍了国际上广泛应用的两个老年人用药指南。Beers标准介绍了48种药物在老年人中应避免使用或限量使用和20种老年人特定病症不宜使用药物的理由及危害等级。加拿大标准介绍了38种药物在老年人中应避免使用,并对老年人不适当处方行为提出了替代治疗方案。推广两个指南的应用,将有利于改善老年人不适当药物应用的局面,使老年人少受药物不良反应的危害。     

Potentially Inappropriate Medications and Functional Decline in Elderly Hospitalized Patients

OBJECTIVES: To verify whether the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) is associated with loss of independence in elderly in-patients by promoting adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
DESIGN: Prospective observational study.
PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred six patients aged 65 and older admitted to 11 acute care medical wards.
MEASUREMENTS: In-hospital loss of one or more activities of daily living (ADLs) and three or more ADLs. PIMs were identified according to diagnosis-independent Beers criteria and ascertained by study physicians based on daily review of medical and nurse records. The relationship between risk factors and outcomes was assessed using logistic regression.
RESULTS: Overall, 104 patients (20.6%) were taking at least one PIM at the time of admission (baseline users), and 49 (9.7%) were newly prescribed at least one PIM during their hospital stay. The loss of one or more ADLs occurred in 9.6% of baseline users, 16.3% of new users, and 8.5% of nonusers ( P =.21) and that of three or more ADLs in 7.7% of baseline users, 12.2% of new users, and 4.8% of nonusers ( P =.10). The lack of association was confirmed after correction for potential confounders, including ADRs. The occurrence of ADRs was strongly associated with both outcomes (odds ratio (OR)=7.80, 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.53–17.3 for the loss of ≥1 ADLs; OR=3.98, 95% CI=1.50–10.5 for the loss of ≥3 ADLs), but PIMs caused only six of 106 ADRs.
CONCLUSIONS: ADRs to any drugs more than the use of PIMs might be associated with functional decline in elderly hospitalized patients, but because the power of this study was too limited to definitively exclude a direct relationship between PIMs and functional decline, this merits further investigation.     

Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications among elderly patients in the geriatric department at a single-center in China: A retrospective cross-sectional study

The aging of the population has become a worldwide concern, especially in China. Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are prominent issues in elderly patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of polypharmacy and PIMs in older inpatients and further to explore the factors associated with PIM use.A retrospective, single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 1200 inpatients aged 65 years or older admitted from January 2015 to December 2015 were included. The prevalence of polypharmacy (5–9 medications) and hyperpolypharmacy (10 or more medications) was calculated. The 2019 American Geriatric Society Beers criteria were applied to assess PIMs use. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent factors of PIM use, while zero-inflated negative binomial regression was performed to evaluate the relationship between polypharmacy and PIM use.The median age of the study population was 76 years (interquartile range = 71–81). The median number of medications was 9 (interquartile range = 7–12). 91.58% of the patients took 5 or more medications simultaneously, and 30.08% of the patients were subjected to one or more PIMs. Spironolactone, furosemide, and zopiclone were the top 3 most frequently encountered PIMs. Hyperpolypharmacy and older age were identified as independent factors associated with PIM use. The risk of PIMs rises with the number of medications prescribed.Polypharmacy and PIM use were common in our study, and the risk of PIM use correlated with an increase in the number of medications already prescribed.