Potentially Inappropriate Medications in the Elder

Authors: HeeJin Hwang SangHwan Kim Kang Soo Lee

Publish Date: 2015/12/01

Volume: 2, Issue: 4, Pages: 355-361

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Abstract

Elderly residents of longterm care facilities are more vulnerable to being prescribed inappropriate medications because of the high incidence of comedication in this population resulting from the presence of multiple chronic diseases and also agerelated changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamicsA retrospective crosssectional study was conducted in 20 longterm care facilities located in the northwest regions of South Korea for 824 patients aged 65 years and older who were assessed between January and February of 2012 Potentially inappropriate medications were identified using the 2012 American Geriatric Society’s Beers Criteria We assessed the relationship between the frequency of potentially inappropriate medications prescribed and patient age sex comedications comorbidity activities of daily living length of stay grade of longterm care insurance for seniors and the bed size and business type of the longterm care facilityOf the 529 participants who satisfied our inclusion criteria 308 582  had received at least one inappropriate medication according to the 2012 Beers Criteria The most frequently prescribed classes of inappropriate medications were central nervous system drugs 587  anticholinergics 212  and cardiovascular medications 108  The most commonly used drugs were quetiapine 284  chlorpheniramine 158  risperidone 65  and zolpidem 58  Inappropriate medication use was associated with the number of comedications and longterm care insurance grade 3 which means less dependence and a requirement of lowlevel careCentral nervous system drugs 587  were the most prescribed class of inappropriate medications Quetiapine was the drug most often given inappropriately 284  There was a relationship between inappropriate medication use and the number of comedications The frequency of inappropriate medication prescriptions was higher among patients whose longterm care insurance for seniors was grade 3 which means less dependence and a requirement of lowlevel care

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