Longitudinal prevalence of potentially inappropriate medicines and potential prescribing omissions in a cohort of community-dwelling older people

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to compare the prevalence of poten- tially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) and potential prescrib- ing omissions (PPOs) using several screening tools in an Irish community-dwelling older cohort, to assess if the prevalence changes over time and to determine factors associated with any change. Methods This is a prospective cohort study of participants aged ≥ 65 years in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) with linked pharmacy claims data ( n =2051). PIM and PPO prevalence was measured in the year preceding par- ticipants ’ TILDA baseline interviews and in theyear preceding their follow-up interviews using the Screening Tool for Older Persons ’ Prescriptions (STOPP), Beers criteria (2012), Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders (ACOVE) indicators and the Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START). Generalised estimating equations were used to de- termine factors associated with change in prevalence overtime