Health outcomes associated with potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults.
The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use (PIMs) among community-dwelling older adults and the association between PIMs and health care outcomes. Participants were 17,971 individuals age 65 years and older. PIM use was defined by the Beers criteria. Drug-related problems (DRPs) were defined using ICD-9 codes. Forty percent of the 17,971 individuals filled at least 1 PIM prescription, and 13% filled 2 or more PIM prescriptions. Overall DRP prevalence among those with at least 1 PIM prescription was 14.3% compared to 4.7% in the non-PIM group (p < .001). In conclusion, preventing PIM use may be important for decreasing medication-related problems, which are increasingly being recognized as requiring an integrated interdisciplinary approach.
Fick
Donna M
DM
School of Nursing, 307C Health & Human Development East, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Mion
Lorraine C
LC
Beers
Mark H
MH
L Waller
Jennifer
J
D000368:Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006302:Health Services Research; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007344:Insurance Claim Reporting / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D024802:Nurse's Role; D018579:Patient Selection; D019338:Polypharmacy; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015144:Southeastern United States / Q000453:epidemiology