Potentially inappropriate medications in geriatric patients attending a tertiary care hospital in South India: an observational cross-sectional study

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess drug therapy, possible drug-drug interactions, and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in the geriatric age. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with prospective enrollment for 12 months. The study population consisted of geriatric patients admitted to the general medicine department. We defined polypharmacy as the concurrent use of more than 5 medications daily. The American Geriatrics Society Beers 2019 criteria were used to identify PIMs. Drug-drug interactions were identified using a drug interaction checker and categorized into mild, moderate, and severe. Results: The study included 96 patients (mean age: 70.5±7.8 years, men: 61.5%). Seventy-three patients (76.0%) had polypharmacy. A total of 73 (12.1%) PIMs were identified. Among the 605 medications prescribed 63 (10.4%) potential drug-drug interactions were identified. The percentages of mild, moderate, and severe interactions were 43.5%, 43.5%, and 12.9%, respectively. Conclusions: In this Indian setting study, while the rate of polypharmacy was high, the rate of PIMs and drug-drug interactions were lower. Vigilance is required to identify drug interactions and PIMs in older adults to avoid adverse drug effects.