Scientists from the University at Buffalo found the prescription of potentially inappropriate medications to older adults in the United States is linked to increased hospitalizations, and it costs patients, on average, more than $450 per year.
They also found that more than 34% of adults aged 65 and older were prescribed these problematic drugs.
The research is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and was conducted by David Jacobs et al.
Although efforts to de-prescribe have increased significantly over the last decade, potentially inappropriate medications continue to be prescribed at a high rate among older adults in the United States.
The average age of the U.S. population is rising, and older adults account for a disproportionate amount of prescription medications. Harm to older adults caused by potentially inappropriate medications is a major public health challenge.
As the human body ages, the risk of experiencing harmful side effects from medications increases.
Potentially inappropriate medications are drugs that should be avoided by older adults due to these risks outweighing the benefits of the medication, or when effective but lower risk alternative treatments are available.
In the study, the team examined the prescription of 33 potentially inappropriate medications or classes of medications to adults 65 and older.
Among the potentially inappropriate medications examined were antidepressants, barbiturates, androgens, estrogens, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, first-generation antihistamines, and antipsychotics.
Among the 218 million-plus older adults surveyed, more than 34% were prescribed at least one potentially inappropriate medication.
Those patients were, on average, prescribed twice as many drugs, were nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized or visit the emergency department, and were more likely to visit a primary care physician compared to older adults who were not prescribed potentially inappropriate medication.
Patients who received these medications also spent an additional $458 on health care, including an extra $128 on prescription drugs.
The team says de-prescribing is currently at an early stage in the United States. Further work is needed to implement interventions that target unnecessary and inappropriate medications in older adults.
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