A PRESCRIBING PATTERN OF DRUGS IN GERIATRICS USING BEERS CRITERIA AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Infant Smily Alphonse*, Santhoshini Dhevi Kathirvel, Priya Biji, Haja Sherief Sheik

ABSTRACT

Background: Polypharmacy and inappropriate prescriptions are prominent prescribing issues with elderly patients. Beer’s criteria and other guidelines have been developed to assist in the reduction of potentially inappropriate medications prescribed to elderly patients. Objective: The objectives of the study are to evaluate the prescription pattern in geriatrics and to identify potentially inappropriate medications using Beers Criteria 2017 Methodology: This is a prospective observational study conducted in a tertiary care Hospital, Bangalore from March’18 to May’18. About 200 prescriptions were reviewed and relevant informations were recorded in a structured proforma and data was analysed. Result: Most of the cases were from Cardiovascular System (28%), Orthopedics (24%), Endocrine system (11.5%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (12%).According to Beer’s criteria 19 drugs were prescribed inappropriately and all those drugs were to be generally avoided in older adults. Conclusion: This study had described the prevalence of diseases among geriatric populations and its prescription pattern along with the prevalence of polypharmacy which is usually to be avoided in geriatric populations.

Keywords: Geriatrics, Beer’s criteria, inappropriate prescribing.