Publications

Background. — Potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) in elderly patients is highly preva-lent and is associated with an increased risk of adverse drug events, morbidity, and mortality.Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the PIP encountered in a geriatric setting and tohighlight the role of the clinical pharmacists in this context. Method. — A retrospective observational study was conducted during March and April 2018 inan elderly daycare in Beirut area. Patients’ files were screened to evaluate each patient’sclinical status using a developed tool that included the Medication Appropriateness Index. Sta-tistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version 20). The results were considered significantat P < 0.05. Results. — The results showed a high incidence of hypertension, schizophrenia, and diabetesamong the studied sample with percentages of 41.7%, 35.3%, and 26.6%, respectively. As forthe PIP, drug therapy duration and cost were the most encountered problems followed by med-ication indication, dosage, and drug-drug interaction. Moreover, PIP increased with the numberof prescribed medications (P < 0.05). Proton pump inhibitors, low dose aspirin, and antidia-betic medications’ users had a significantly higher Medication Appropriateness Index score ascompared to non-users. Conclusion. — As a conclusion, suboptimal care is proved in this study empowering the collabo-ration between clinical pharmacists and physicians in minimizing the PIPs in elderly daycares.