title: Potentially inappropriate medications in geriatric outpatients with polypharmacy: application of six sets of published explicit criteria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to compare the practicability of six different potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) criteria in geriatric outpatients with polypharmacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed baseline data from the Medication Safety Review Clinic in Taiwanese Elders (MSRC-Taiwan) study. The prevalence and correlates of PIMs were determined on the basis of criteria developed in the USA, Canada, France, Norway, Ireland and Thailand. The percentage of PIMs considered as drug-related problems and the problem-solving rate are reported.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the 193 participants, the prevalence of PIM varied from 24 to 73%. Application of the criteria revealed that a high number of chronic medications was a common risk factor for having at least one PIM. Of the 1713 medications reviewed, 5.6-14.8% were considered PIMs. Only 30-40% of the identified PIMs were reported as drug-related problems by the MSRC team experts. Criteria with a higher number of statements and a higher percentage of local market/institution drug availability tended to detect more PIMs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of PIM varied significantly when different criteria were applied. Caution should be exercised in applying PIM criteria developed in other regions when medication availability in the local market is limited.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chirn-Bin
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Jen-Hau
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chiung-Jung
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Hsu-Ko
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: I-Shu
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Lee-Shu
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Shwu-Chong
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ding-Cheng Derrick
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000592:standards*; D019338:Polypharmacy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations