Características del uso inadecuado de medicamentos en pacientes pluripatológicos de edad avanzada

Paula Carlota Rivas-Cobas, Nieves Ramírez-Duque, Mercedes Gómez Hernández, Juana García, Antonia Agustí, Xavier Vidal, Francesc Formiga, Alfonso López-Soto, Olga H. Torres, Antonio San-José, en representación de los investigadores de Medicamentos en Pacientes de Edad del Proyecto Estudio sobre el Uso Inadecuado Avanzada

To analyse potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) in elderly polypathological patients (PP). Multicentre observational, prospective study of 672 patients aged 75 years and older hospitalised in Internal Medicine between April 2011 and March 2012. The Beers, STOPP-START and ACOVE criteria were used to detect potentially inappropriate prescribing and the results of PP and non-PP patients were compared. Of the 672 patients included, 419 (62%) were polypathological, of which 89.3% met PIP criteria versus 79.4% of non-polypathological patients (p <0.01). 40.3% of polypathological patients met at least one Beers criteria, 62.8% at least one STOPP criteria, 62.3% at least one START criteria and 65.6% at least one ACOVE criteria. The rate of potentially inappropriate prescribing was higher in polypathological patients regardless of the tool used. Given the high rate of potentially inappropriate prescribing in polypathological patients, strategies to improve prescribing adequacy must be developed.