title: [Evaluation of inappropriate prescribing according to Beers criteria in cardiology and respiratory medicine departments].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PPI) for patients older than 65 years admitted to the cardiology and respiratory medicine units, as well as the main drugs involved and their clinical severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, observational study was carried out over a 6 month period. We reviewed the treatment of patients over 65 years old admitted to these units. PPI is considered as those included in the Beers criteria 2003. We recorded clinical unit, age, sex, inappropriate drug, dosage and route of administration. We calculated the overall incidence of PPI (number of PPI/number of patients) and according to the clinical unit, sex, drug involved, and clinical severity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were collected from 385 patients (190 in cardiology and 195 respiratory medicine unit). We found 111 PPI (0.29 PPI/patient). If we take into account the clinical unit, there were 53 PPI in cardiology (0.28 PPI/patient) and 58 PPI in respiratory medicine (0.30 PPI/patient). Two-thirds (66.6%, n=74) of the PPI occurred in men and 33.4% (n=37) in women. The main drugs involved were amiodarone (24.3%), digoxin (19.8%), doxazosin (17.1%) and diazepam (16.2%). According to the Beers criteria, 68.5% of those were high severity PPI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prescription of inappropriate medications in the elderly is high. This is important because they are a cause of adverse reactions, which leads to a significant proportion of hospital admissions. The inclusion of warnings in the program of assisted prescribing and distributing of newsletters about these to the personnel involved, improves the quality of health care and minimises medication-related problems.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Farmacia, Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España. silvia_garcia80@hotmail.com
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Garcia-Ramos
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garcia-Poza
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramos-Diaz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002309:Cardiology; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015272:Pulmonary Medicine