scholarly journals 21 Prevalence of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) in Older Palliative Patients, Defined by STOPPFrail Criteria

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii17-iii65
Author(s):  
Adeline Foo ◽  
Tony O'Brien ◽  
Denis O'Mahony

Abstract Background Polypharmacy is common in older persons with multi-morbid illness, increasing the risk of adverse drug events. Drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are often altered in this group increasing the risk of adverse drug events and many prescribed drugs take considerable time to benefit. STOPPFrail criteria are designed to help prescribers to identify potentially inappropriate medications in older sicker patients with short life expectancy. The aim of this pilot study was to estimate the prevalence of STOPPFrail defined potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs in older patients with terminal illness at the point of admission to specialist hospice care. Methods We conducted a prospective analysis of inpatient case records and drug kardexes at a university teaching hospice over a period of one month. We recorded patients’ demographic details, principal symptoms, co-morbidities, medications at admission and at day 3-7. STOPPFrail criteria were applied to patients’ medications lists at both time points. Results Of 22 patients studied, 13 were female with a mean (+/- SD) age of 80 years (+/- 6). Eighteen patients were transferred directly from an acute hospital, 4 patients from the community. Common symptoms were pain (72%) and severe lethargy (68%). Twenty out of 22 patients had cancer as the life-limiting condition. There was a significant reduction in the mean (+/- SD) number of medications from admission (11 ± 4.1) to post palliative review (8 ± 4.7; p=0.002). 90% of patients had polypharmacy i.e. ≥ 6 daily medications, 87% had ≥ 1 STOPPFrail PIM on admission. The median number of STOPPFrail PIMs per patient was 1 (1-2, IQR), most commonly high dose proton pump inhibitors, multivitamin supplements, calcium supplements and lipid lowering therapies. Conclusion In this small study, STOPPFrail-defined PIMs were highly prevalent in older terminally ill patients. Prescribers should carefully review the medication lists of terminally ill older patients in order to minimize inappropriate polypharmacy.

Geriatrics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Samah Alshehri ◽  
Mohannad Alshibani ◽  
Ghaydaa Magboul ◽  
Albandari Albandar ◽  
Roaa Nasser ◽  
...  

Background: The aging process makes geriatric populations more prone to various chronic diseases. Such diseases require older patients to be on more medications than any other age group and make them more susceptible to adverse drug events related to potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). Aim: To identify the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications among older people and explore the most commonly prescribed PIMs in hospitalized patients. Design and Setting: A retrospective study conducted in a large tertiary hospital among patients hospitalized in a 4 year period from January 2015 to December 2018. Methods: The 2019 Beers Criteria were used to assess PIMs in all inpatient prescribed medications focusing on the first class (i.e., drug/drug class to be avoided in older adults). Results: The mean age was 75.17 ± 7.66 years. A total of 684 (80.6%) patients were prescribed at least one medication listed in the first-class category of the 2019 Beers Criteria. Top five drugs were proton pump inhibitors (40.3%), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (10.2%), metoclopramide (9.3%), benzodiazepines (8.4%), and insulin (5.4%). Conclusions: The prevalence of PIMs is high among older patients admitted to the hospital. More efforts are needed to investigate the potential reasons and develop action plans to improve concordance to Beers Criteria among healthcare providers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii1-iii16
Author(s):  
Claire Murphy ◽  
Adam H Dyer ◽  
Brian Lawlor ◽  
Sean P Kennelly

Abstract Background Prescription of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) is common in older adults and is associated with adverse drug events, hospitalisation and mortality. Less well described are the patterns and predictors of PIM usage in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a patient group who may be particularly vulnerable to polypharmacy and medication associated adverse events. Methods Secondary analysis of the NILVAD trial, an international phase three trial of Nilvadipine in mild/moderate AD. The v2 STOPP/START criteria were individually applied by a physician to each participant’s medication list and cross-reference with their medical history to identify PIM usage. Predictors of PIM usage were modelled using binary logistic regression. Results Five-hundred and ten patients with AD were included (mean age 72.8 +/-8.3 years; 62% female). The median number of prescribed medications was 5 (IQR 3-7). Over half (55.5%) were prescribed at least one PIM, whilst a minority of patients (14.8%) were prescribed three or more PIMs. The most frequent PIMs were benzodiazepines >4 weeks without indication (n = 55), long-term Proton-Pump Inhibitor (PPI) use without appropriate indication (n = 49), use of non-steroidal analgesics without use of PPI (n=19) and antimuscarinic use in dementia (n= 18). On multivariate analysis, significant predictors of PIM use were higher total number of medications (p=0.001; OR 1.52; 1.36-1.59) in addition to greater AD severity, as rated using the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum-of-Boxes (CDR-sb) (p=0.024; OR 1.18; 1.02-1.35). Conclusion The majority of older patients with AD were prescribed at least one PIM. Usage of PIMs was associated with greater number of medications and increased dementia severity. Particularly concerning is the potentially inappropriate use of benzodiazepines and anti-muscarinic agents in this population, given recent evidence for the adverse cognitive profile associated with these medications. De-prescribing and medication review interventions aimed particularly at patients with AD are warranted.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tasmiah P. Chowdhury ◽  
Rebecca Starr ◽  
Maura Brennan ◽  
Alexander Knee ◽  
Mike Ehresman ◽  
...  

Purpose: To describe the implementation and impact of integrating a clinical pharmacist into interdisciplinary Acute Care for Elderly (ACE) rounds at a teaching hospital. Methods: Pre- and postanalyses were performed 6 months before and 12 months after the intervention. We report the total number, type, and frequency of recommendations made by the clinical pharmacist, the acceptance rate by the physician, and interventions on potentially inappropriate medications (PIM). Results: Among the 588 patients who met the ACE inclusion criteria, mean age was 81.2 years, 54.9% were female, and 79.8% were of white race. A total of 1243 pharmacy recommendations were recorded. The median number of recommendations per patient increased from a median of 1 (range: 1-7) in the preintervention to 2 (1-13) in the postintervention period, resulting in an incidence rate ratio of 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-1.40). The main categories of recommendations were dose adjustment, avoidance of inappropriate therapy, and prevention of adverse drug events. In the postintervention period, there was an increase in recommendations among analgesics (from 3.7% to 7.5%), PIMs (from 12% to 14%), and, in particular, antidepressant/antipsychotics (from 1.9% to 6.0%). The acceptance rate of the recommendations remained roughly the same (86.5% vs 84.4%). Conclusion: Proactive involvement of a clinical pharmacist in ACE rounds resulted in a substantial increase in recommendation for medication changes, most notably for PIMs. These recommendations generally were accepted by physicians. The integration of a clinical pharmacist requires significant dedicated time but leads to increased recognition of drug-related problems in the acute-care setting, resulting in improved patient outcomes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 699-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chirn-Bin Chang ◽  
Hsiu-Yun Lai ◽  
Shinn-Jang Hwang ◽  
Shu-Yu Yang ◽  
Ru-Shu Wu ◽  
...  

Background: PIM-Taiwan criteria were first established in 2010 for potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). Currently, updating of PIM criteria is mandatory because of newly established evidence and newly developed medications. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of PIM based on country-specific PIM criteria and factors associated with PIM use by applying 2010 version and newly updating PIM-Taiwan criteria in a cohort with polypharmacy. Methods: The baseline data of Medication Safety Review Clinic Taiwan (MSRC–Taiwan) study were used to investigate the prevalence of PIMs. Older patients (aged ⩾65 years) who were either having polypharmacy or visited ⩾3 different physicians were enrolled between August and October 2007. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regressions were used to evaluate the factors associated with PIM use. Results: The prevalence of having at least one PIM was 46.1% for 2010 version and increased to 74.6% for 2018 version. The average number of PIMs generally to be avoided per patient also increased for 2018 version (0.2 versus 1.2, p < 0.0001). In contrast, the average number of PIMs considering chronic conditions per patient decreased (0.6 versus 0.3, p < 0.001). The associated chronic conditions of PIM users were distinct between 2010 and 2018 version. The major leading PIMs were benzodiazepines (BZDs) in both versions of criteria. Conclusions: As there were significant differences in medication lists between PIM-Taiwan version 2010 and 2018, the prevalence of PIM and factors associated with PIM users varied accordingly. Physicians should pay special attention before prescribing BZDs which keep being the major leading PIM.


Author(s):  
Denis O’Mahony

The prevalence of complex multimorbidity is increasing steadily in tandem with global population ageing. Complex multimorbidity is in turn intimately associated with polypharmacy, the relationship being one of cause-and-effect. Polypharmacy commonly leads to prescription of inappropriate drugs, resulting in a substantially higher risk of drug-related problems, principally adverse drug–drug and drug–disease interactions. These problems become manifest in the form of common geriatric symptoms such as falls, acute confusion, and incontinence and commonly result in increased healthcare utilization, including hospitalization, with obvious economic consequences. In addition, adverse drug reactions and adverse drug events lead to death in older people. The challenge of optimization of pharmacotherapy in older people with complex multimorbidity is a major one. There is increasing evidence that avoidance of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs) using validated PIM and PPO criteria lists leads to better and safer pharmacotherapy in this high-risk population.


Medicina ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Sarwar ◽  
Sadia Iftikhar ◽  
Muhammad Sarfraz

Objective: To evaluate influence of education level of older patients on polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) listed in Beer’s Criteria, and unplanned hospitalization. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among older people aged ≥65 years between 1 December 2017 and 28 February 2018. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were employed. Results: Among 385 older patients, 88.8% were prescribed PIMs and 56.4% underwent PIMs associated unplanned hospitalization. Older people were less exposed to polypharmacy or excessive polypharmacy as their education levels increased (no formal education vs. primary vs. secondary vs. tertiary, 74% vs. 69.8% vs. 60.5% vs. 58.1%). Patients having higher education were also accompanied by significantly lower prescription of PIMs (no formal education vs. primary vs. secondary vs. tertiary, 96% vs. 87.3% vs. 84.5% vs. 79.1%) as well as unplanned hospitalization (no formal education vs. primary vs. secondary vs. tertiary, 64.7% vs. 76.2% vs. 40.3% vs. 46.5%). Results of regression analysis revealed that no formal education (OR = 1.202, 95% CI = 1.032–2.146, p-value = 0.003) and primary education level (OR = 1.175, 95% CI = 1.014–1.538, p-value = 0.039) were significantly associated with the use of polypharmacy among older people. On the other hand, no formal education was significantly associated with the prescription of PIMs (OR = 1.898, 95% CI = 1.151–2.786, p-value = 0.007). Furthermore, older people with no formal education (OR = 1.402, 95% CI = 1.123–1.994, p-value = 0.010) and primary education level (OR = 1.775, 95% CI = 1.281–3.018, p-value = <0.001) were significantly more likely to undergo unplanned hospitalization. Conclusions: Patients having low literacy level are more likely to receive PIMs, polypharmacy, and undergo unplanned hospitalization in comparison to highly educated patients. Hence, promotion of health literacy for patients is crucial to overcome these problems.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 166-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole J. Brandt ◽  
Traci Turner

In 2012, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), along with a panel of 11 experts, updated the Beers Criteria which has evolved significantly since its inception in 1991. The Beers Criteria, in general, classifies medications/medication classes as: (1) potentially inappropriate for use in all older adults, (2) potentially inappropriate for older adults with certain diseases or symptoms and (3) requiring extra caution when used in older adults. Although each patient must be evaluated individually, the Beers Criteria is a useful clinical tool that can be used when initiating pharmacologic agents in both ambulatory and institutionalized patients. The concept behind use of the Beers Criteria is that it allows prescribers to readily identify, and avoid, medications associated with negative outcomes in older adults therefore decreasing the risk of adverse drug events (ADEs). Within this review article, there will be a highlight of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) commonly seen in clinical practice settings such as antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics, anticholinergics and sliding scale insulin. The focus will be to outline the risk-benefits of these drug classes within the context of persons with dementia. Furthermore, the use of PIMs has both clinical and financial implications in Medicare Star ratings and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 136-137
Author(s):  
Christy Babu ◽  
Lincy George ◽  
K. Krishnakumar

Deprescribing can be defined as the process of stopping a medication or reducing its dose to reduce adverse effects and improve health outcomes. Elderly people with co morbidities usually have a risk of adverse drug events and these events can only be treated by medicines. Despite the benefits offered by these medicines, older patients are at a high risk of harm caused by these medications. The use of multiple medications for treating the comorbidities may also leads to severe health problems. Deprescribing help to reduce the risk related to inappropriate medicines. Deprescribing is usually a patient centered process which helps to withdraw drugs which are harmful to be prescribed to older patients. Several explicit and implicit tools have been developed internationally to identify these inappropriate medications. Deprescribing of inappropriate medicines would help to reduces drug-related harm and improves the quality of life of older adults. Keywords: Deprescribing, polypharmacy, older adults


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Thorell ◽  
Patrik Midlöv ◽  
Johan Fastbom ◽  
Anders Halling

Abstract Background: With age, the number of chronic conditions increases along with the use of medications. For several years, polypharmacy has been found to be on the increase in western societies. Polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk of adverse drug events (ADE). Medications called potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) have also been found to increase the risk of ADEs in an older population. In this study, which we conducted during a national information campaign to reduce PIM, we analysed the prevalence of PIM in an older adult population and in different strata of the variables age, gender, number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy and how that prevalence changed over time. Methods: This is a registry-based repeated cross-sectional study including two cohorts. Individuals aged 75 or older listed at a primary care centre in Blekinge on the 31st March 2011 (cohort 1, 15 361 individuals) or on the 31st December 2013 (cohort 2, 15 945 individuals) were included in the respective cohorts. Using a chi2 test, the two cohorts were compared on the variables age, gender, number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy. Use of five or more medications at the same time was the definition for polypharmacy. Results: Use of PIM decreased from 10.60% to 7.04% (p-value <0.001) between 2011 and 2013, while prevalence of five to seven chronic conditions increased from 20.55% to 23.66% (p-value <0.001). Use of PIM decreased in all strata of the variables age, gender number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy. Except for age 80-84 and males, where it increased, prevalence of polypharmacy was stable in all strata of the variables. Conclusions: Use of potentially inappropriate medications had decreased in all variables between 2011 and 2013; this shows the possibility to reduce PIM with a focused effort. Polypharmacy does not increase significantly compared to the rest of the population.


Pharmacia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 789-795
Author(s):  
Heba Khader ◽  
Luai Z. Hasoun ◽  
Ahmad Alsayed ◽  
Mahmoud Abu-Samak

The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in a community-dwelling Jordanian population of geriatrics according to the 2019 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria, to identify the most used PIMs and factors independently associated with PIMs use. This was an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. The sample population included 386 participants. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews. A total of 2894 medications were evaluated. The prevalence of patients using at least one PIM was 49.2%. The most used PIMs were proton pump inhibitors (24.6%) and long-acting sulfonylurea (20.5%). Participants who had diabetes mellitus, peptic ulcer, or irritable bowel syndrome had significantly higher numbers of PIMs. The use of PIMs was high in Jordanian geriatric patients. The results of this study might help healthcare providers to detect high-risk patients and reconsider the necessity of using PIMs to decrease the risk of adverse drug events.


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