CAUSES AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INAPPROPRIATE PRESCRIBING IN THE ELDERLY PATIENT DETECTED AT HOSPITAL ADMISSION. APPLICATION OF THE STOPP & START CRITERIA

Objective: To analyze the causes of potentially inappropriate prescribing (IP) found in patients over 64 years of age admitted to the hospital. Method: Observational study in an area hospital of reference. We included all patients over 64 years old who were admitted to the hospital during the last quarter of 2009. We considered as inappropriate prescriptions those included in the STOPP and START criteria and any prescription of low therapeutic utility (LTU) drugs. We determined the prevalence and causes of inappropriate prescribing and its related factors. Results: 382 patients were included in the study with an average age of 77.7 years. 58.1% of those patients had at least one inadequate prescription. After the application of the STOPP and START criteria, we detected IP in 45.8% of patients and LTU drug prescriptions in 23.8% of them. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of inappropriate prescriptions in elderly patients. We should systematize the revision of this kind of prescriptions by giving preference to at-risk patients.