Observational studyClinical interventions in aging2017
Optimization of drug therapy in elderly individuals admitted to a geriatric unit.
Observational study in Clinical interventions in aging, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hospitalisation as an Opportunity to Optimise Quality Use of Medicines in Older Adults: A Systematic Review.Drugs & aging · 2026Pooled it
- The Association Between Polypharmacy and Physical Function in Older Adults: a Systematic Review.Journal of general internal medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Global under- and overprescribing of drugs-a scoping review.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Review
- A multidisciplinary meeting for generating a personalized pharmaceutical plan for older adults at hospital discharge: the IATROPREV study.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Observational
- Providing information about medication changes upon discharge from a geriatric unit: the community healthcare professionals' point of view.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Discontinuation of Antidepressants in Older Adults: A Literature Review.Therapeutics and clinical risk management · 2023Review
- Prevalence and Predictors of Potentially Inappropriate Medications Among Patients Aged ≥65 Years on Hospital Admissions in Kuwait.Clinical interventions in aging · 2022Article
- Persistence of Effect of Medication Review on Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions in Older Patients Following Hospital Discharge.Drugs & aging · 2021Observational
- Reviewing Potentially Inappropriate Medication in Hospitalized Patients Over 65 Using Explicit Criteria: A Systematic Literature Review.Drug, healthcare and patient safety · 2021Review
- Burden of Inappropriate Prescription of Direct Oral Anticoagulants at Hospital Admission and Discharge in the Elderly: A Prospective Observational Multicenter Study.Drugs & aging · 2019Observational
- Discontinuation of medications at the end of life: A population study in Belgium, based on linked administrative databases.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2019Article
- Evaluation of pharmacist interventions and commonly used medications in the geriatric ward of a teaching hospital in Turkey: a retrospective study.Clinical interventions in aging · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA substantial share of adverse drug events involves inappropriate prescribing (IP). Specialized geriatric units are supposed to pay particular attention to prescribing appropriateness and to promoting a higher prescribing quality.
objectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the reality of such assessment and optimization in real life (usual care) in a population of elderly individuals admitted to a geriatric unit.
methodThis is an observational study including all older patients admitted to an acute geriatric unit over a 6-month period. As part of usual care, the geriatrician is supposed to detect potentially inappropriate medication and potential prescribing omission using validated tools. The primary outcome was the prevalence rate of therapeutic modifications motivated by treatment optimization (stop, switch, or introduction). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with therapeutic discontinuation.
resultsA total of 216 patients were included. The mean age was 85.7 years. Included patients had an average of 7.2±3.3 drugs at admission and 5.8±2.7 at discharge. IP was highly prevalent in our study where about 63% of the patients had experienced at least one modification because of overuse. The most commonly discontinued medications were drugs used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcer disease and serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. The most commonly introduced medications were analgesics and warfarin. By using multivariate analysis, we found that patient age and number of drugs on admission were significantly associated with medication discontinuation during hospital stay.
conclusionIn this real-life study of all patients admitted to a Geriatric Post Emergency Unit, 83% of the patients had a treatment modification during hospital stay. The most original result of our study is the clear reduction in polypharmacy during hospitalization.
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