Potentially inappropriate medications for older adults in the internal medicine service

Medicamentos potencialmente inapropiados para el adulto mayor en el servicio de medicina interna

Introduction: inappropriate drug prescribing is defined as the use of medicines whose risks outweigh their benefits, or when there is increased potential of drug-drug interactions.  The Beers and PRISCUS criteria were developed as tools to prevent potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) in the elderly. Objective: to identify PIM in the elderly population who attended the internal medicine service of Hospital Universitario Hernando Moncaleano Perdomo, by means of the Beers and PRISCUS criteria. Materials and methods:  a descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study in patients over age 65. The sample size was calculated in 357 patients. Excel version 2013 was used for data storage. EPI INFO version 7.1.4 was used for data analysis. Results: mean age 75 years, males 52.66%, average number of drugs per patient 8.77 (SD +/- 5). Heart failure was the most common diagnosis (29 cases - 8.12 %). According to the Beers criteria, PIM was identified in 4.9% of patients; metoclopramide (20%) and amiodarone (14%) being the most prescribed. The PRISCUS list identified PIM in 2.5%; prazosin (20%) being the most prescribed. Conclusions: the drugs identified by the BEERS criteria were metoclopramide, amiodarone, prazosin, and beta-methyl digoxin. Prazosin, haloperidol, beta-methyl digoxin, and diphenhydramine were identified by the PRISCUS criteria.

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