title: The use of START/STOPP criteria for elderly patients in primary care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to detect older patients who were prescribed inappropriate drugs according to START/STOPP criteria in primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged over 65, admitted to health center no. 5 in Afyon, were included. The files of the subjects were surveyed retrospectively for the final one year in the digital environment, using the Family Medicine Information System. The files surveyed allowed us to list the drugs they used in the past year and to detect inappropriate drug use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of patients that took part in this study was 325 (average age: 73.23 ± 6.44 years). We found that, among these participants, 48 patients (14.8%) were using drugs inappropriately according to STOPP criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further focus on avoiding inappropriate drug use will allow clinicians and other health professionals to reduce side effects and other complications. In patients aged over 65, there is a need to attach particular importance to inappropriate drug use, drug interactions, and avoidance of side effects.
authors.affiliation: Afyon 5th Primary Care Center, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhteşem Erol
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Yayla
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bilge
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Binen
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keskin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D055656:Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology