Prevalence of Polypharmacy and Potentially Inappropriate Medications Prescribed among Elderly Inpatients in a Primary Care Setting of Pokhara, Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Polypharmacy, referred to as prescription several medications is major concern in the elderly population. Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are those medications that should be avoided due to their adverse clinical effects. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy and identify PIMs in primary care practice using Beer’s criteria and the Screening Tool of Older People’s Potentially Inappropriate Prescription (STOPP) criteria.

Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study. A total of 102 elderly patients aged ≥ 65 years were enrolled in the study from a primary care centre in Pokhara, Nepal. A questionnaire comprising sociodemographic and prescribed medication information was used for data collection. Potentially inappropriate prescriptions were assessed using Beer’s and STOPP criteria.

Results: The majority of the study population were females (53%) age group 65-74 years (74.5%). Comorbidities were common in 69% of the elderly, and major polypharmacy was prevalent in approximately 73% of the elderly. PIM prevalence rates of 36.12% and 6.86% were identified using the Beer’s criteria and STOPP criteria, respectively.

Conclusion: This study reports the prevalence of polypharmacy and PIM prescriptions among elderly patients. Appropriate drug therapy can be achieved by using appropriate tools for the detection of PIM use in elderly patients. Further research on interventions related to PIMs is warranted to prevent adverse drug events in the elderly.