First do no harm: A real need to deprescribe in older patients

Medical Journal of Australia

Volumn 201, Issue 7, 2014, Pages 390-392

  Scott, Ian A ^a   Anderson, Kristen ^b,c   Freeman, Christopher R ^c   Stowasser, Danielle A ^b  

^a PRINCESS ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL   (Australia)

^b UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND   (Australia)

^c Charming Institute   (Australia)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

BENZODIAZEPINE; CHOLINERGIC RECEPTOR BLOCKING AGENT; NONSTEROID ANTIINFLAMMATORY AGENT; OPIATE;

ARTICLE; DELIRIUM; DEPRESSION; DRUG COST; DRUG INDICATION; DRUG WITHDRAWAL; FALLING; HEALTH CARE COST; HOSPITAL PATIENT; LETHARGY; MEDICAL CARE; PATIENT EDUCATION; POLYPHARMACY; PRESCRIPTION; QUALITY OF LIFE; SIDE EFFECT; THERAPY EFFECT; TRAINING; ADVERSE DRUG REACTION; AGED; HUMAN; INAPPROPRIATE PRESCRIBING;

AGED; DRUG PRESCRIPTIONS; DRUG-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS; HUMANS; INAPPROPRIATE PRESCRIBING; POLYPHARMACY;

EID: 84908298787     PISSN: 0025729X     EISSN: 13265377     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.5694/mja14.00146     Document Type: Article

References (30)

1. Kalisch LM, Caughey GE, Barratt JD, et al. Prevalence of preventable medication-related hospitalizations in Australia: an opportunity to reduce harm. Int J Qual Health Care 2012; 24: 239-249.
2. Miller GC, Britt HC, Valenti L. Adverse drug events in general practice patients in Australia. Med J Aust 2006; 184: 321-324.
3. Runciman WB, Roughead EE, Semple SJ, Adams RJ. Adverse drug events and medication errors in Australia. Int J Qual Health Care 2003; 15 Suppl 1: i49-i59.
4. Staff ord AC, Alswayan MS, Tenni PC. Inappropriate prescribing in older residents of Australian care homes. J Clin Pharm Ther 2011; 36: 33-44.
5. Byles JE, Heinze R, Nair BK, Parkinson L. Medication use among older Australian veterans and war widows. Intern Med J 2003; 33: 388-392.
6. Roughead EE, Anderson B, Gilbert AL. Potentially inappropriate prescribing among Australian veterans and war widows/widowers. Intern Med J 2007; 37: 402-405.
7. Gyllensten H, Rehnberg C, Jönsson AK, et al. Cost of illness of patientreported adverse drug events: a population-based cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open 2013; 3: e002574.
8. Atkin PA, Veitch PC, Veitch EM, Ogle SJ. The epidemiology of serious adverse drug reactions among the elderly. Drugs Aging 1999; 14: 141-152.
9. Parkes AJ, Coper LC. Inappropriate use of medications in the veteran community: how much do doctors and pharmacists contribute? Aust N Z J Public Health 1997; 21: 469-476.
10. Elliott RA, Thomson A. Assessment of a nursing home medication review service provided by hospital-based clinical pharmacists. Aust J Hosp Pharm 1998; 29: 255-260.
11. Woodward MC, Elliott RA, Oborne CA. Quality of prescribing for elderly inpatients at nine hospitals in Victoria, Australia. J Pharm Pract Res 2003; 33: 101-105.
12. Crotty M, Rowett D, Spurling L, et al. Does the addition of a pharmacist transition coordinator improve evidence-based medication management and health outcomes in older adults moving from the hospital to a long-term care facility? Results of a randomized, controlled trial. Am J Geriatr Pharmacother 2004; 2: 257-264.
13. Scott IA, Gray LC, Martin JH, et al. Deciding when to stop: towards evidencebased deprescribing of drugs in older populations. Evid Based Med 2013; 18: 121-124.
14. Klopotowska JE, Wierenga PC, Smorenburg SM, et al. Recognition of adverse drug events in older hospitalized medical patients. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2013; 69: 75-85.
15. Boyd CM, Darer J, Boult C, et al. Clinical practice guidelines and quality of care for older patients with multiple comorbid diseases: implications for pay for performance. JAMA 2005; 294: 716-724.
16. Spinewine A, Schmader KE, Barber N, et al. Appropriate prescribing in elderly people: how well can it be measured and optimised? Lancet 2007; 370: 173-184.
17. Miller GC, Valenti L, Britt H, Bayram C. Drugs causing adverse events in patients aged 45 or older: a randomised survey of Australian general practice patients. BMJ Open 2013; 3: e003701.
18. Budnitz DS, Lovegrove MC, Shehab N, Richards CL. Emergency hospitalizations for adverse drug events in older Americans. N Engl J Med 2011; 365: 2002-2012.
19. Anthierens S, Tansens A, Petrovic M, Christiaens T. Qualitative insights into general practitioners views on polypharmacy. BMC Fam Pract 2010; 11: 65.
20. Schuling J, Gebben H, Veehof LJ, Haaijer-Ruskamp FM. Deprescribing medication in very elderly patients with multimorbidity: the view of Dutch GPs. A qualitative study. BMC Fam Pract 2012; 13: 56.
21. Reeve E, To J, Hendrix I, et al. Patient barriers to and enablers of deprescribing: a systematic review. Drugs Aging 2013; 30: 793-807.
22. Iyer S, Naganathan V, McLachlan AJ, Le Couteur DG. Medication withdrawal trials in people aged 65 years and older: a systematic review. Drugs Aging 2008; 25: 1021-1031.
23. Declercq T, Petrovic M, Azermai M, et al. Withdrawal versus continuation of chronic antipsychotic drugs for behavioural and psychological symptoms in older people with dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013; (3): CD007726.
24. Gallagher PF, O’Connor MN, O’Mahony D. Prevention of potentially inappropriate prescribing for elderly patients: a randomized controlled trial using STOPP/START criteria. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2011; 89: 845-854.
25. Garfi nkel D, Zur-Gil S, Ben-Israel J. The war against polypharmacy: a new costeff ective geriatric-palliative approach for improving drug therapy in disabled elderly people. Isr Med Assoc J 2007; 9: 430-434.
26. Martin P, Tamblyn R, Ahmed S, Tannenbaum C. A drug education tool developed for older adults changes knowledge, beliefs and risk perceptions about inappropriate benzodiazepine prescriptions in the elderly. Patient Educ Couns 2013; 92: 81-87.
27. NHS Highland. Polypharmacy: guidance for prescribing in frail adults. http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/publications/documents/guidelines/ polypharmacy guidance for prescribing in frail adults.pdf (accessed Jun 2014).
28. Farrell B, Merkley VF, Thompson W. Managing polypharmacy in a 77-year-old woman with multiple prescribers. CMAJ 2013; 185: 1240-1245.
29. Best Practice Advocacy Centre New Zealand. A practical guide to stopping medicines in older people. Best Practice Journal 2010; Apr. http://www. bpac.org.nz/magazine/2010/april/stopGuide.asp (accessed Nov 2013).
30. Bregnhøj L, Thirstrup S, Kristensen MB, et al. Combined intervention programme reduces inappropriate prescribing in elderly patients exposed to polypharmacy in primary care. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2009; 65: 199-207