A systematic review of prescribing criteria to evaluate appropriateness of medications in frail older people. Issue 4 (November 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Poudel, A; Peel, NM; Mitchell, C; Nissen, LM; Hubbard, RE
• Is Part Of: Reviews in clinical gerontology. Volume 24:Issue 4(2014)
• Page Start: 304
• Page End: 318
• Publication Date: 2014-11
• Subjects: Geriatrics -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 618.97
• DOI: 10.1017/S0959259814000161
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-2598

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="normal"> <title>Summary</title> <p>This study systematically reviews the published literature regarding inappropriate prescribing in frail individuals aged at least 65 years. Twenty-five of 466 identified studies met the inclusion criteria. All papers measured some surrogate indicators of frailty, such as performance-based tests, cognitive function and functional dependency. Beers criteria were used in 20 studies (74%) to evaluate inappropriate medication use and 36% (9/25) studies used more than one criterion. The prevalence of inappropriate medications ranged widely from 11 to 92%. Only a few studies reported the relationship between potentially inappropriate medication use and surrogate measures of frailty. These diverse findings indicate the need for a standardized measure for assessing appropriateness of medication in frail older individuals. Prescribing tools should address both medication and patient-related factors such as life expectancy and functional status to minimize inappropriate prescribing in frail individuals.</p> </abstract>