Intervention with the Screening Tool of Older Persons Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment Criteria in Elderly Residents of a Chronic Geriatric Facility: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Issue 9 (September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Frankenthal, Dvora; Lerman, Yaffa; Kalendaryev, Edward; Lerman, Yehuda
• Is Part Of: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Volume 62:Issue 9(2014:Sep.)
• Page Start: 1658
• Page End: 1665
• Publication Date: 2014-09
• Subjects: Geriatrics -- Periodicals; 618.97
• DOI: 10.1111/jgs.12993
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-8614

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jgs12993-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="jgs12993-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Objectives</title> <p>To assess the effect of a Screening Tool of Older Persons potentially inappropriate Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (STOPP/START) medication intervention on clinical and economic outcomes.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12993-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Design</title> <p>Parallel‐group randomized trial.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12993-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Setting</title> <p>Chronic care geriatric facility.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12993-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Participants</title> <p>Residents aged 65 and older prescribed with at least one medication (N = 359) were randomized to receive usual pharmaceutical care or undergo medication intervention.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12993-sec-0005" sec-type="section"> <title>Intervention</title> <p>Screening medications with STOPP/START criteria followed up with recommendations to the chief physician.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12993-sec-0006" sec-type="section"> <title>Measurements</title> <p>The outcome measures assessed at the initiation of the intervention and 1 year later were number of hospitalizations and falls, Functional Independence Measure (FIM), quality of life (measured using the Medical Outcomes Study 12‐item Short‐Form Health Survey), and costs of medications.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12993-sec-0007" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>The average number of drugs prescribed was significantly lower in the intervention than in the control group after 1 year (<italic>P</italic> < .001). The average drug costs in the intervention group decreased by 103 shekels (US$29) per participant per month (<italic>P</italic> < .001). The average number of falls in the intervention group dropped significantly (<italic>P</italic> = .006). Rates of hospitalization, FIM scores, and quality of life measurements were similar for both groups.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12993-sec-0008" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>Implementation of STOPP/START criteria reduced the number of medications, falls, and costs in a geriatric facility. Their incorporation in those and similar settings is recommended.</p> </sec> </abstract>