Detección de prescripciones potencialmente inapropiadas en pacientes ancianos:estudio descriptivo en dos farmacias comunitarias

Resumen

Introduction: Elderly patients are a heterogeneous group who are prescribed a large number of medicaments. This leads to potentially inappropriate prescriptions. Objective: To analyze the pharmacotherapy of elderly patients from community pharmacy in order to detect potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP and Beers 2012) and potentially omitted prescriptions (START), determining its prevalence. Methodology: A descriptive, observational study in which patients over 65, who needed primary care and had at least one long-term treatment, were included. The appropriateness of the medicine was verified according to Beers 2012 and STOPP & START criteria. Results: 223 patients whose average age was 75 were included. 1558 medicines were prescribed in total, with an average of 7 medicaments per patient. 67 % of patients were polypharmacy. With Beers 2012, 246 inappropriate prescriptions were detected and the most repeated criteria were that of Benzodiazepines: short, intermediate and long (36%) effect. With STOPP 146 inappropriate prescriptions were detected. The most common criterion was full-doze IBP for more than 8 weeks (14%). With START, 103 potentially omitted prescriptions were detected, being antiplatelet in diabetes mellitus the most frequent (11.6%). Conclusion: Beers and STOPP-START 2012 criteria represent a useful tool in the detection of potential drug-related problems in a community pharmacy. In no case they involve a ban on the use of these drugs, since its prescription depends on the characteristics of the individual patient and the clinical judgment of the prescribing physician.