Abstract

STUDY OF POLYPHARMACY IN GERIATRIC PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

I. Neelam*, A. Kavya, P. Priyanka, P. Vinod and P. Jeevan

Abstract

Objective: To identify drugs, diseases involved, to find out the inappropriate drugs and consequences involved in Polypharmacy. Methodology: A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital between August 2016-January 2017. We included geriatric patients of age above 60 years with all diseases involving comorbidities in departments like general medicine, general surgery, gastroenterology and orthopedics. We analyzed the data using statistical method ANOVA using software windostat version 9.2. Results: 105 patients were included in our study among them 71 were male and 34 were female. Among the common drugs included in our study, Pantoprazole, Mannitol and Nicardipine were found to be significant. Diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, Cerebrovascular accident, Peritonitis, Cholelithiasis, Traumatic quadriparesis, Osteoarthritis were found to be significant. Inappropriate drugs such as Pantoprazole, Aspirin, Spironolactone and Diclofenac were found to be significant. Conclusion: By conducting this study we conclude, that the inappropriate drugs are found to be significant in geriatrics so while prescribing drugs Beers criteria and STOPP/START criteria should be used as a standard guideline so that inappropriate drugs can be reduced.

Keywords: Polypharmacy, geriatrics, inappropriate drugs, Beers criteria, START/STOPP criteria.