Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jul 1:19:1177-1187.
doi: 10.2147/CIA.S466649. eCollection 2024.

Potentially Inappropriate Use of Medication and Its Determinants Among Ambulatory Older Adults in Six Community Chain Pharmacies in Asmara, Eritrea: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the 2023 American Geriatric Society Beers Criteria®

Saleh Idrisnur  1 , Nuru Abdu  2 , Filipos Yohannes  3 , Tomas Tewelde  4 , Natnael Russom  5 , Eyasu H Tesfamariam  6
Affiliations

Potentially Inappropriate Use of Medication and Its Determinants Among Ambulatory Older Adults in Six Community Chain Pharmacies in Asmara, Eritrea: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the 2023 American Geriatric Society Beers Criteria®

Saleh Idrisnur et al. Clin Interv Aging. .

Abstract

Background: Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use is one of the main drug-related problems encountered in older adults. It is associated with adverse drug events, morbidity, mortality, increased economic costs, and negative effects on the quality of life that requires strict monitoring of prescriptions in older adults. Thus, the study aimed to assess potentially inappropriate medication use and its determinants among older adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among all outpatient prescriptions dispensed to older adults (aged 65 years and above) in six community chain pharmacies in Asmara, Eritrea. Data were collected retrospectively, between June 16 and July 16, 2023. PIMs were detected using the 2023 American Geriatric Society (AGS) Beers Criteria®. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were performed using IBM SPSS® (Version-26.0).

Results: A total of 2680 outpatient prescriptions dispensed to older adults were included in this study. The prevalence of PIM among prescriptions was 18.1% (95% CI: 16.7, 19.6). Moreover, a total of 470 medications were found to be avoided in older adults. The most commonly prescribed PIMs were sulfonylureas (27.2%) and substituted alkylamines (16.2%). The prevalence of prescriptions containing medications to be used with caution in older adults was 13.2% (95% CI: 12.0, 14.5). Age (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR))=0.98, 95% CI: 0.97, 0.99), polypharmacy (AOR=2.77, 95% CI: 1.49, 5.15), and general practitioner prescriber (AOR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.70) were significantly associated with PIMs.

Conclusion: A considerable number of ambulatory older adults were exposed to PIMs which require a close attention by policymakers, program managers, and healthcare professionals.

Keywords: AGS Beers Criteria®; Eritrea; community chain pharmacy; determinants; older adults; potentially inappropriate medications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. He W, Goodkind D; Paul Kowal, US Census Bureau An Aging World: 2015. International population reports, P95/16-1. Washington, DC: US Government Publishing Office; 2016.
    1. Cossart AR, Cottrell WN, Campbell SB, Isbel NM, Staatz CE. Characterizing the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of immunosuppressant medicines and patient outcomes in elderly renal transplant patients. Transl Androlo Urol. 2019;8(Suppl 2):S198. doi:10.21037/tau.2018.10.16 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Joung K, Shin JY, Cho S. Features of anticholinergic prescriptions and predictors of high use in the elderly: population‐based study. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2019;28(12):1591–1600. doi:10.1002/pds.4902 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gallagher P, O’Mahony D. STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons’ potentially inappropriate Prescriptions): application to acutely ill elderly patients and comparison with Beers’ criteria. Age Ageing. 2008;37(6):673–679. doi:10.1093/ageing/afn197 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ryan C, O’Mahony D, Kennedy J, Weedle P, Byrne S. Potentially inappropriate prescribing in an Irish elderly population in primary care. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2009;68(6):936–947. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2125.2009.03531.x - DOI - PMC - PubMed