Klin Farmakol Farm. 2011;25(4):167-171

Potentially inappropriate prescription in elderly patients: comparison of selected quality indicators

Lenka Kostková¹, Agáta Mačugová¹, Veronika Drobná¹, Andrej Dukát², Martin Wawruch¹

¹ Ústav farmakológie a klinickej farmakológie, Lekárska fakulta, Univerzita Komenského, Bratislava

² II. Interná klinika, Lekárska fakulta, Univerzita Komenského, Bratislava

Aim: The aim of our study was to analyse the prevalence of prescription of potentially inappropriate medications using two lists of such

drugs. The sensitivity of both lists to identify potentially inappropriate prescription in a group of elderly patients was compared.

Methods: A sample of 566 patients (≥65 years) hospitalized at the Geriatric Department of Regional Hospital Malacky was evaluated.

Potentially inappropriate prescription was identified using the American Beers criteria (2003) and the French Laroche list (2007).

Results: Potentially inappropriate medication was detected in 128 (22.6%) patients at hospital admission and in 157 (27.7%) at discharge

according to the Beers criteria. According to the Laroche list, potentially inappropriate drugs were prescribed in 145 (25.6%) patients at

admission and in 172 (30.4%) at hospital discharge. When both lists were used, the prescription of potentially inappropriate medications

was significantly higher at hospital discharge compared to that at admission (Beers list p=0.001; Laroche list p=0.002 according to

the McNemar test). Using the Beers criteria, the most frequently observed medications were ticlopidine, amiodarone and oxybutynin.

According to the Laroche list, ticlopidine, oxybutynin and glipizide were the most common medications. In our study, the Laroche list

seemed to be more sensitive in detecting potentially inappropriate prescription in elderly patients (p<0.001 according to the χ2 test).

Conclusion: The presented study showed a relatively high prescription of potentially inappropriate medication in the evaluated group.

This finding as well as a significant increase in the occurrence of such medications at hospital discharge indicates the need for improvement

of education about the specific features of geriatric pharmacotherapy in both pregraduate and postgraduate medical education.

Keywords: potentially inappropriate medications, Beers criteria, Laroche list, quality indicators

Published: December 18, 2011  Show citation