Individuals are often prescribed increasing numbers of medications as they age, and while many of these prescriptions are justifiable, some may be inappropriate. A recent analysis published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology examined the results of all studies investigating associations between potentially inappropriate prescribing--which includes prescribing medications that may not produce benefits relative to harm and not prescribing medications that are recommended--and outcomes of older adults.
Potentially inappropriate prescribing was significantly associated with a range of health-related and system-related outcomes, including functional decline, falls, and hospital admissions due to drug-related side effects.
Several decision support tools for quality prescribing are available; however, our analysis highlights that medication-related harm due to inappropriate prescribing remains problematic. A comprehensive assessment of medication use, especially during care transitions such as at hospital discharge, is an important task to reduce medication-related harm and associated healthcare costs."
Alemayehu Mekonnen, PhD, Study Lead Author, Deakin University, Australia
Source:
Journal reference:
Mekonnen, A. B., et al. (2021) Potentially inappropriate prescribing and its associations with health-related and system-related outcomes in hospitalised older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14870.