The Status of Potentially Inappropriate Medication Prescription by General Physicians for The Elderly in Tabriz (Iran) According to Beers Criteria

Objectives: Prescribing medication for the elderly is an important health issue. This study aimed to investigate the status of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) prescription for the elderly by general physicians in Tabriz, Iran. Methods & Materials: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 on the prescriptions of general physicians for the elderly in Tabriz, Iran. After initial screening of 16842 prescriptions belonged to two insurance systems (social security insurance and health insurance), 1500 prescriptions were selected. The Beers criteria 2019 was used to assess PIM prescription status and their alternatives were suggested if needed. Data were expressed as Mean±Standard Deviation (SD) and No. (%), and analyzed in SPSS v. 21 software. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to examine the differences in the study factors between the prescriptions related to two insurance systems. The relationship between patients’ age and PIM prescription was examined using Spearman correlation test. Results: The Mean±SD number of drugs in each prescription was 3.93±1.5 and the Mean±SD number of prescribed PIMs was 0.74±0.8. Polypharmacy was observed in 32.6% of the prescriptions, and 53.9% had at least one PIM. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antihistamines and benzodiazepines were the most PIM groups (45.6, 10.9 and 10.6%, respectively). The most common prescribed PIMs were Adult cold, Diclofenac, Glibenclamide, Ketorolac and Diphenhydramine. Number of PIMs in each prescription did were not statistically different between the prescriptions related to two insurance systems (P=0.343). Moreover, patients’ age and gender had no significant relationship with PIM prescription (P=0.312 and P=0.660, respectively). Conclusion: About 54% of the prescriptions issued by general physicians for the elderly in Tabriz contain PIMs, and polypharmacy is present in about one third of the prescriptions. In order to improve this condition, it is necessary to hold appropriate training and continuous retraining courses in geriatric medicine for general physicians. Supervisions by the Iranian Ministry of Health and Iranian Medical Council can also play an important role in improving the current situation.