Polypharmacy leads to increased prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication in the Indonesian geriatric population visiting primary care facilities

• Main Authors: Abdulah R (Author), Insani WN (Author), Destiani DP (Author), Rohmaniasari N (Author), Mohenathas ND (Author), Barliana MI (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Dove Medical Press, 2018-09-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1178-203X
• Keywords: Potentially Inappropriate Medication; Polypharmacy; Geriatrics.; Therapeutics. Pharmacology; RM1-950
• Source: Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, Vol Volume 14, Pp 1591-1597 (2018)

Rizky Abdulah,1 Widya N Insani,1 Dika P Destiani,1 Nurul Rohmaniasari,1 Nithya D Mohenathas,1 Melisa I Barliana2 1Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia; 2Department of Biological Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia Background: The geriatric population is particularly vulnerable to being prescribed potentially inappropriate medication (PIM); however, the prevalence of this occurrence remains poorly investigated in Indonesia. Thus in this research, we focused on investigating the prevalence and predictors of PIM among the Indonesian geriatric population in a primary health care setting. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted in 25 primary health care facilities in Karawang District, Indonesia. The medical prescriptions of patients aged &ge;60 years during January&ndash;December 2014 were documented, and the PIM was assessed based on Beers and McLeod criteria. The influence of age, sex, number of diseases, and polypharmacy toward PIM was assessed using a logistic regression model. A P-value of <0.05 defined statistical significance. Results: A total of 3,819 subjects were included in the study. PIM was highly prevalent (52.2%) among the Indonesian elderly. Chlorpheniramine, mefenamic acid, ibuprofen, and nifedipine were the most commonly prescribed PIM. Polypharmacy (odds ratio: 1.2 [0.6, 2.1]) was the only factor associated with the use of PIM, while sex, age, and multiple diseases did not show significant association. Conclusion: PIM is a concern in the Indonesian geriatric population. Health care professionals are encouraged to review the medications of their geriatric patients using updated safety guidelines to prevent risks associated with PIM. Keywords: potentially inappropriate medication, polypharmacy, geriatrics, adverse drug reactions, hospitalization