Abstract
Background The Ghent Older People’s Prescriptions community Pharmacy Screening (GheOP³S-)tool was recently developed to screen for potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP). Objective We aimed (1) to determine PIP prevalence in older nursing home (NH) residents with polypharmacy using the GheOP³S-tool and (2) to identify those PIPs that are most frequently detected. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out between February and June 2014 in 10 NHs in Belgium, supplied by a community pharmacy chain. For each NH, 40 residents (≥70 years, using ≥5 chronic drugs) were included. PIP prevalence was determined using the GheOP³S-tool. Results 400 NH residents were included [mean age (±SD) 86.2 (±6.3) years; median number of drugs (±IQR) 10 (7–12)]. A total of 1728 PIPs were detected in 387 (97 %) participants (Median 4; IQR 2–6). The most prevalent items can be assigned to three categories: long-term use of central nervous system drugs (i.e. benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antipsychotics), use of anticholinergic drugs (mutual combinations and with underlying constipation/dementia) and underuse of osteoporosis prophylaxis. Conclusion Screening for PIP by means of the GheOP³S-tool revealed a high prevalence of PIP among older NH residents with polypharmacy. This finding urges for initiatives on the patient-level, but also on a broader, institutional level.
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We would like to thank the community pharmacy chain for providing us with the dataset and assistance when case clarification was needed.
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No financial remuneration was received for the study.
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Tommelein, E., Mehuys, E., Petrovic, M. et al. Potentially inappropriate prescribing in nursing home residents detected with the community pharmacist specific GheOP3S-tool. Int J Clin Pharm 38, 1063–1068 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-016-0366-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-016-0366-6