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Prevalence and types of potentially inappropriate prescriptions among older and middle-aged community-dwelling Albanian patients.

BACKGROUND
Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIP) varies among community-dwelling patients and this difference partly depends on the methods used to evaluate improper use.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence and type of PIP among community-dwelling elderly as well as among middle-aged people by applying three different explicit tools - Ghent Older People's Prescriptions community Pharmacy Screening (GheOP3S) tool, The European Union Potentially Inappropriate Medications EU(7)-PIM list and PRescribing Optimally in Middle-aged People's Treatments (PROMPT).


METHODS
Cross-sectional study among community-dwelling patients in Tirana (Albania) from 1 March to 1 June 2018. Two community pharmacists reviewed the prescriptions independently. The PIP index and the mean number of PIP / patient was calculated.


RESULTS
In total, 241 participants were included in the study. Among 142 elderly patients, 55.6 % and 54.2 % of them were prescribed at least one PIP, respectively according to the GheOP3S tool and the EU7 PIM list. After applying PROMPT criteria, we found at least one PIP in 33.3 % of the middle-aged patients. The most commonly represented PIP drugs groups were cardiovascular drugs among older people and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs among middle-aged people. Reminding and proposing the patient to undergo yearly influenza vaccination was the most common potentially prescribing omission.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevalence of PIP is higher in elderly patients and slightly different according to the tool used for detection. However, PIP are also common in the middle-aged population.