Evaluation of rational drug use and frequency of inappropriate drug use in elderly individuals

Evaluation of rational drug use and frequency of inappropriate drug use in elderly individuals Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate the rational drug use of individuals aged 65 years and older who applied to the outpatient clinics of Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, who accepted to participate in the study and gave concent, and to determine the frequency of inappropriate drug use using the 2019 Beers criteria. Materials and method: Our study, which is a descriptive and cross-sectional study, was conducted face-to-face through a questionnaire. The participants who agreed to participate in the study were administered a research questionnaire including questions about sociodemographic characteristics, questions to evaluate drug use habits and questions to determine the drugs they use. The data were analysed and interpreted with SPSS 20.0. Statistical significance levelwas accepted as p<0.05. Results: In our study, 407 elderly participants were reached %48,4 of them were male and %51,6 were female. The rate of drug use without prescription/physician's advice was found to be %63,7. It was determined that the most frequently used medicines without consulting a physician and the medicines kept at home in case of need were the same groups; among these, painkillers were the most frequently used. It was determined that %89,4 of the participants had a chronic disease that required continuous of medication. The 3 most common diseases were hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In our study, the rate of polypharmacy (use of 4 or more medications) was found to be %56. When the drugs used by the participants were analysed according to the 2019 Beers criteria, ıt was found that %31,2 had potential inappropriate medication (PIM) use. The highest rate of PIM use was found in NSAIDs (%28), PPIs (%17,3) insulins (%16) and alpha1 blockers (%15,38). PIM use increases with advanced age and the presence of polypharmacy. Conclusion and recommendation: Polypharmacy and inappropriate use of medicines, which increase with age, negatively affect the health of the elderly. This situation makes rational drug use awareness more important in elderly individuals. Family physicians should fulfil their duties and responsibilities in a multidisciplinary teamwork to protect and improve the health of elderly individuals. Key words: Family medicine, rational drug use, polypharmacy, potential inappropriate medication, elderly health