Appropriateness of prescribing in elderly patients attending a tertiary care teaching hospital according to STOPP-START criteria.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the frequency and pattern of potentially inappropriate prescriptions, including potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), among elderly inpatients aged 65 years and above in a tertiary care hospital.

METHODS

This hospital-based observational Cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2019 to January 2020 in the Medicine Department. Four hundred patients aged ≥65 years with at least one chronic illness and complete medication records were included. The STOPP/START version 2 criteria were applied to identify PIMs and PPOs. Demographic details, clinical diagnoses, and hospitalization data were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

Among 400 patients (233 men, 167 women; mean age 69 ± 4.94 years), cardiovascular diseases were the most common cause of admission (30 %), followed by respiratory (21 %) and nervous system disorders (12.5 %). A total of 4,337 medications were prescribed, averaging 10.87 per patient. PIMs were identified in 48 patients (12 %), most frequently cardiovascular drugs (36 %), fall-risk-increasing drugs (16 %), and antiplatelet/anticoagulant agents (13 %). PPOs were observed in 38 patients (9.5 %), commonly involving cardiovascular and preventive therapies.

CONCLUSIONS

Inappropriate prescribing remains prevalent among elderly inpatients. Routine use of structured tools such as STOPP/START may enhance safer, evidence-based prescribing and improve outcomes.