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POTENTIAL INAPPROPRIATE MEDICATION USE IN COMMUNITY – DWELLING ELDERLY PATIENTS. A QUALITATIVE STUDY

DANIELA PRIMEJDIE^1*, MARIUS BOJIŢĂ², ADINA POPA¹

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The elderly are frequently exposed to drug related problems. Inappropriate prescribing of unsafe medication or underuse of clinically indicated therapies can be identified using validated explicit criteria. The objective of this study was to identify the characteristics of medication use among the community- dwelling elderly patients, by comparison with the Beers criteria, the STOPP and START intruments and with similar published research. Reimbursed prescriptions that were delivered to elderly patients through one Romanian community pharmacy were analysed. Demographic characteristics, local availability of medications included in the applied criteria and patterns of medication use were identified. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Ginkgo biloba standardised extract, zopiclone and zolpidem were the most frequent medications potentially associated with safety concerns. Potential underuse of prophylactic cardiovascular medications was frequent. Several particularities concerning medication use among the Romanian community- dwelling elderly suggest the need for interventions designed to prevent inappropriate medication use.