Development and validation of prescription quality assessment tool in geriatrics.

OBJECTIVE

Prescription appropriateness and quality of prescribing is a serious concern in geriatric care. This study aims on the development and validation of a clinical tool to assess the quality and appropriateness of geriatric prescriptions.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Study population comprised of hospitalized older adults. The tool development followed item selection, defining the need for each item, drafting, Delphi analysis, pre-testing and validation. The tool was tested for Feasibility, Validity and Reliability during validation.

RESULTS

The tool comprised of assessing Prescribing information, Quality indicators, Drug use indicators, Cost indictors, Morbidity indicators. The Prescription Quality Assessment Tool (PQATG) was found to be feasible after pre-testing. Content validity ratio=0.6, with sum of CVI was 16.082. Construct validity test produced significant correlation and intra-class correlation coefficient indicated moderate reliability.

CONCLUSION

The prescription quality assessment tool for geriatrics is feasible, reliable, valid and novel tool for evaluating the quality of geriatric prescriptions.