title: [The frequency of potentially inappropriate medication use according to the Beers' criteria in elderly people at the therapy departments of a multidisciplinary hospital].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the frequency of potentially inappropriate medication use according to the Beers' criteria in elderly people at the therapy departments of a hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case histories of 150 patients over 65 years of age (47 men and 103 women at the age of 79.0 ± 15.5 years) treated at the therapy department of a multidisciplinary hospital were analyzed to estimate the frequency of potentially inappropriate medication use in elderly people according to the Beers' criteria in the 4-month period: from March to June 2013. Each treatment sheet was checked against the so-called Beers' list (supported by the American Geriatric Associated in 2012) to reveal the use of potentially inappropriate medications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An average of 6.4 ± 4.0 drugs was simultaneously used in the patients. In 61 (40.67%) patients, the treatment sheets showed 78 potentially inappropriate medications that should be avoided by the elderly. Twenty-one (14%) patients were noted to use 24 potentially inappropriate drugs that should be avoided by elderly patients with definite diseases and syndromes. Fifty (33.3%) patients were observed to have taken the drugs that should be used with great caution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that the elderly patients frequently receive potentially inappropriate medications; as a result their benefits can be overweighed by the risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapy, Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: D А
authors.initials: DА
authors.lastname: Sychev
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Internal Propedeutics, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Danilina
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapy, Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: О V
authors.initials: ОV
authors.lastname: Golovina
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006748:Hospital Departments; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012426:Russia