Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic Of Iran
مجله پزشکی جمهوری اسلامی ایران
Med J Islam Repub Iran
Medical Sciences
http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir
2
journal2
1016-1430
2251-6840
8
10.18869/mjiri
14
8888
13
en
jalali
1397
11
1
gregorian
2019
2
1
33
1
online
1
fulltext
en
Prescribing for geriatrics in Tehran; is it appropriate and rational?
Drug
Drug
Original Research
Original Research
<strong>Background: </strong>The world’s population is growing older. Inappropriate and irrational use of drugs in the elderly is a considerable health concern due to consequences such as increased morbidity and adverse drug events. This study aimed to evaluate the rationality of prescribing and determining the extent of inappropriate prescribing in a sample of geriatric patients in Tehran.<br>
<strong>Methods:</strong> This cross sectional study was performed on 1512 prescriptions of patients aged ≥ 65 years from 5 pharmacies affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2014. Prescription of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) was investigated using the Beers Criteria along with WHO prescribing indices. Date were analyzed using SPSS software, and significance level was set at less than 0.05.<br>
<strong>Results:</strong> Mean (SD) age of patients was 73.9(6.7) years. A total of 472 (31.2%) patients received at least 1 PIM. Benzodiazepines were the most frequent drug class and general practitioners (GPs) were the most frequent prescriber of PIMs. The highest and the lowest percentage of prescriptions containing brand-names were prescribed by subspecialists (62.5%) and GPs (42.2%), respectively. Antibiotics and injectable medications were prescribed for 26.8% and 28.5% of patients by GPs. Mean (SD) number of drugs per prescription was 3.57 (1.92). Prescriptions containing systemic antibiotics and PIMs had significantly higher mean number of drugs compared to those without these items (both P < 0.001). <br>
<strong>Conclusion:</strong> There is a need for interventions to improve the quality of prescribing for elderly patients, especially by GPs. Also, there are still some problems in rational use of drugs based on prescribing indices, especially, prescribing brand-names and injectable medications.<br>
Aged, Beers criteria, potentially inappropriate medication list, Inappropriate prescribing, Drug prescriptions, World Health Organization prescribing indices, Antibacterial agents, Injections
875
887
http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-4122-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1
Mona
Kargar
mkargar@razi.tums.ac.ir
200319475328460062219
200319475328460062219
No
Research Center for Rational Use of Drugs, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Fatemeh
Atrianfar
faatr2@gmail.com
200319475328460062220
200319475328460062220
No
Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Arash
Rashidian
arashrashidian@gmail.com
200319475328460062221
200319475328460062221
No
Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Kazem
Heidari
k_heidari@razi.tums.ac.ir
200319475328460062222
200319475328460062222
No
Research Center for Rational Use of Drugs, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Maryam
Noroozian
mnoroozian@sina.tums.ac.ir
200319475328460062223
200319475328460062223
No
Division of Memory and Behavioral Neurology, Department of Psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Kheirollah
Gholami
khgholami@sina.tums.ac.ir
200319475328460062224
200319475328460062224
No
Research Center for Rational Use of Drugs, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Reza
Javadi
javadirctex1351@yahoo.com
200319475328460062225
200319475328460062225
Yes
Research Center for Rational Use of Drugs, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran