TY - JOUR
T1 - Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in older hospital in-patients
T2 - prevalence, contribution to hospital admission and documentation of rationale for continuation
AU - Ní Chróinín, Danielle
AU - Neto, Hugo M.
AU - Xiao, Diane
AU - Sandhu, Anmol
AU - Brazel, Carly
AU - Farnham, Nell
AU - Perram, Jacinta
AU - Roach, Timothy S.
AU - Sutherland, Emily
AU - Day, Ric
AU - Beveridge, Alexander
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - Aim: To establish prevalence, sequelae and documentation of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in older hospital in-patients. Methods: Notes of all patients ≥65 years old, admitted to our tertiary teaching hospital (January 2013), were retrospectively reviewed, and the Screening Tool of Older Persons' potentially inappropriate Prescriptions applied. Results: Amongst 534 patients, 54.8% (284) were on ≥1 PIM at admission, 26.8% on multiple; 60.8% were discharged on a PIM. Six percent of all admissions were potentially attributable to a PIM; falls associated with risk therapies were commonest (23/30), and often (65.2%) associated with serious injury. Pre-specified subgroup analysis (n = 100) identified 101 PIMs-at-discharge amongst 47 patients. In 82.2%, a clinical rationale for continued prescription was documented, with this communicated to the GP by letter in 71.1%. Conclusion: PIMs were common, and contributed to admission and injury. Hospitalisation provides an opportunity for medication rationalisation, and documentation of rationale for any PIM use.
AB - Aim: To establish prevalence, sequelae and documentation of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in older hospital in-patients. Methods: Notes of all patients ≥65 years old, admitted to our tertiary teaching hospital (January 2013), were retrospectively reviewed, and the Screening Tool of Older Persons' potentially inappropriate Prescriptions applied. Results: Amongst 534 patients, 54.8% (284) were on ≥1 PIM at admission, 26.8% on multiple; 60.8% were discharged on a PIM. Six percent of all admissions were potentially attributable to a PIM; falls associated with risk therapies were commonest (23/30), and often (65.2%) associated with serious injury. Pre-specified subgroup analysis (n = 100) identified 101 PIMs-at-discharge amongst 47 patients. In 82.2%, a clinical rationale for continued prescription was documented, with this communicated to the GP by letter in 71.1%. Conclusion: PIMs were common, and contributed to admission and injury. Hospitalisation provides an opportunity for medication rationalisation, and documentation of rationale for any PIM use.
KW - adverse drug event
KW - drug prescription
KW - inappropriate prescription
KW - polypharmacy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84960532573&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ajag.12312
DO - 10.1111/ajag.12312
M3 - Article
C2 - 26970209
AN - SCOPUS:84960532573
SN - 1440-6381
VL - 35
SP - 262
EP - 265
JO - Australasian Journal on Ageing
JF - Australasian Journal on Ageing
IS - 4
ER -