Potentially Inappropriate Psychotropic Drugs in Nursing Homes: An Italian Observational Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Physicians often face difficulties in selecting appropriate medications for older adults with multiple comorbidities. As people age, they are more likely to be living with a number of chronic conditions (multimorbidity) and be prescribed a high number of medications (polypharmacy). Multimorbidity is frequent in nursing home (NH) residents and the use of potentially inappropriate medications, especially psychotropic drugs, is widespread. This retrospective cross-sectional cohort study examined the frequency of potentially inappropriate psychotropic drugs using the Beers, Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (STOPP/START) and Fit fOR The Aged (FORTA) criteria, and their association with mortality. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional cohort study was conducted on a sample of long-term care NHs across Italy. Of the 34 NHs with an electronic medical records system, 27 met the inclusion criteria, with complete web-based case report forms (CRFs). Residents under the age of 65 years were excluded. We calculated the prevalence of potentially inappropriate psychotropics drugs (antipsychotics, antidepressants and anxiolytics/hypnotics) according to three criteria for prescriptive appropriateness. Univariate and multivariate correlations were examined, taking into account age, sex, comorbidities, and the number of psychotropic drugs, to analyse the relationship between inappropriate psychotropic use and mortality rates. The rate of inappropriate psychotropic prescriptions was calculated with the prevalence of residents receiving potentially inappropriate psychotropic drugs according to the three criteria. We used a logistic model to check for a possible predictive relationship between inappropriate use of psychotropics and mortality. The study evaluated differences in prescriptive appropriateness among NHs by analysing the proportions of potentially inappropriately treated residents at the last visit. Differences were compared with the overall sample mean using confidence intervals (CIs) calculated using Wald's method. RESULTS: This study involved 2555 residents, of whom 1908 (74.7% of the total) were treated with psychotropic drugs; 186 (7.3% of the total) were exposed to at least one psychotropic drug considered potentially inappropriate according to the FORTA criteria. Analysis using the Beers criteria showed that 1616 residents (63.2% of the total) received at least one psychotropic drug considered potentially inappropriate. In line with the Beers recommendation, patients receiving at least three psychotropic drugs were also included and 440 were identified (17.2% of the total sample). According to the STOPP criteria, 1451 residents (56.8% of the total sample) were prescribed potentially inappropriate psychotropic drugs. No correlation was found between potentially inappropriate use of psychotropic drugs and mortality, in either univariate analysis or in a multivariate model adjusted for age, sex and comorbidity index. CONCLUSIONS: Different criteria for appropriate drug prescription identify very different percentages of patients in NHs exposed to psychotropics considered potentially inappropriate. The Beers and STOPP/START criteria identified a larger percentage of patients exposed in NHs than FORTA.

Serotonin syndrome: A pharmacovigilance comparative study of drugs affecting serotonin levels.

BACKGROUND: Serotonin syndrome is a rare and potentially fatal adverse drug reaction caused by serotonergic drugs and is due to an increase in serotonin concentration or activation of the 5-HT receptor in the central nervous system. We analysed adverse events in the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) data set to investigate the main drug classes related to reports of serotonin syndrome and the reporting risk in relation to age and sex. METHODS: We analysed data from the FAERS database to evaluate the main drug classes related to reports of the serotonin syndrome, and the reporting risk in relation to age and sex. RESULTS: We found 8,997 cases of serotonin syndrome; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was the class of drugs with most reports, followed by opioids and other antidepressants. The highest Reporting Odds Ratios (ROR) for drug classes was for monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (45.99, 95% confidence interval (CI): 41.21-51.33) and SSRIs (32.66, 95% CI: 31.33-34.04), while the ten active substances with the highest ROR were moclobemide, isocarboxazid, oxitriptane, tranylcypromine, melitracen, phenelzine, linezolid, amoxapine, reboxetine and tryptophan; with values of ROR ranging from 44.19 (95% CI: 25.38-76.94) of tryptophan to 388.36 (95% CI: 314.58-479.46) of moclobemide. The ROR for the most commonly involved drugs was higher in the group of older adults (65 > years old), and higher in males. CONCLUSION: Prescribers need to be vigilant about drugs that can raise serotonin concentration or influence serotonergic neurotransmission, also when using drugs with less well-known risk for serotonin syndrome, like linezolid and triptans.

Anticholinergic Burden and Cognitive Impairment in Nursing Homes: A Comparison of Four Anticholinergic Scales.

BACKGROUND: Medications with anticholinergic effects are commonly used in nursing homes, and their cumulative effect is of particular concern for the risk of adverse effects on cognition. OBJECTIVE: The relation between cognitive function and anticholinergic burden measured with four scales, the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) Scale, the Anticholinergic Risk Scale, the German Anticholinergic Burden Scale, and the CRIDECO Anticholinergic Load Scale, is assessed according to the hypothesis that a higher anticholinergic burden is associated with reduced cognitive performance. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted in a sample of Italian long-term-care nursing homes (NH). Sociodemographic details, diagnosis, and drug treatments of each NH resident were collected using medical records four times during 2018 and 2019. Cognitive status was rated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The prevalence of anticholinergic use and its burden were calculated referring to the last time point for each patient. A longitudinal analysis was done on NH residents with at least two MMSE between 2018 and 2019 to assess the relation between the anticholinergic load and decline in MMSE. The relationship between drug-related anticholinergic burden and cognitive performance was analyzed using Poisson regression model theory. Multivariate analyses were adjusted according to the known risk factors of reduced cognitive performance available [age, sex, history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), and number of non-anticholinergic drugs] and for cholinesterase inhibitors. In view of the high number of subjects with an MMSE score = 0 among residents with dementia, for this group a zero-inflated Poisson regression model was used to give more consistent results. The association of anticholinergic burden with mortality was examined from each patient's last visit using a multivariate logistic model adjusted for age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). RESULTS: Among 1412 residents recruited, a clear direct relationship was found between higher anticholinergic burden and cognitive impairment only for the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale. Residents taking an anticholinergic who scored 5 or more had 2.5 points more decline than those not taking them (p < 0.001). Among residents without dementia there was a trend toward direct relationship for the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale and the Anticholinergic Risk Scale. Residents with higher scores had about 2 points more decline than residents not taking anticholinergic drugs. No relation was found between anticholinergic burden and cognitive decline or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The cumulative effect of medications with modest antimuscarinic activity may influence the cognitive performance of NH residents. The anticholinergic burden measured with the ACB scale should help identify NH residents who may benefit from reducing the anticholinergic burden. A clear direct relationship between anticholinergic burden and cognitive impairment was found only for the ACB Scale.

Adherence and Persistence to Medical Therapy in Glaucoma: An Overview.

Glaucoma is a group of progressive optic neuropathies characterized by loss of retinal ganglion cells and visual field deterioration. Despite the fact that the underlying pathophysiology of glaucoma remains unknown, elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a well-established risk factor, and the only factor that can be modified. Robust evidence from epidemiological studies and clinical trials has clearly demonstrated the benefits of IOP control in reducing the risk of glaucoma progression. IOP-lowering therapy by the means of eye drops remains a first-line treatment option. However, like other chronic and asymptomatic conditions, many patients with glaucoma have difficulties in maintaining high rates of adherence persistence to prescribed medications. On average, patients with chronic medical conditions take 30-70% of the prescribed medication doses, and on average 50% discontinue medications in the first months of therapy. The ophthalmic literature shows similarly low rates of adherence to treatment. Indeed, poor adherence is associated with disease progression and increased complication rates, as well as healthcare costs. The present review analyzes and discusses the causes of variability of the adherence to the prescribed drugs. The education of patients about glaucoma and the potential consequences of insufficient adherence and persistence seems fundamental to maximize the probability of treatment success and therefore prevent visual disability to avoid unnecessary healthcare costs.

Prescription appropriateness of anti-diabetes drugs in elderly patients hospitalized in a clinical setting: evidence from the REPOSI Register.

Diabetes is an increasing global health burden with the highest prevalence (24.0%) observed in elderly people. Older diabetic adults have a greater risk of hospitalization and several geriatric syndromes than older nondiabetic adults. For these conditions, special care is required in prescribing therapies including anti- diabetes drugs. Aim of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness and the adherence to safety recommendations in the prescriptions of glucose-lowering drugs in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes. Data for this cross-sectional study were obtained from the REgistro POliterapie-Società Italiana Medicina Interna (REPOSI) that collected clinical information on patients aged ≥ 65 years acutely admitted to Italian internal medicine and geriatric non-intensive care units (ICU) from 2010 up to 2019. Prescription appropriateness was assessed according to the 2019 AGS Beers Criteria and anti-diabetes drug data sheets.Among 5349 patients, 1624 (30.3%) had diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. At admission, 37.7% of diabetic patients received treatment with metformin, 37.3% insulin therapy, 16.4% sulfonylureas, and 11.4% glinides. Surprisingly, only 3.1% of diabetic patients were treated with new classes of anti- diabetes drugs. According to prescription criteria, at admission 15.4% of patients treated with metformin and 2.6% with sulfonylureas received inappropriately these treatments. At discharge, the inappropriateness of metformin therapy decreased (10.2%, P < 0.0001). According to Beers criteria, the inappropriate prescriptions of sulfonylureas raised to 29% both at admission and at discharge. This study shows a poor adherence to current guidelines on diabetes management in hospitalized elderly people with a high prevalence of inappropriate use of sulfonylureas according to the Beers criteria.

Low serum albumin is associated with mortality and arterial and venous ischemic events in acutely ill medical patients. Results of a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: In general population hypoalbuminemia is associated with poor survival. Aim of this study was to assess the impact of hypoalbuminemia on mortality and venous and arterial ischemic events in hospitalized acutely ill medical patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective observational analysis from the "REgistro POliterapie SIMI" (REPOSI). Patients were followed up to 12 months. Serum albumin was obtained in each patient. Mortality and ischemic events were registered throughout the follow-up period. RESULTS: In the entire population including 4152 patients, median levels of serum albumin were 3.4 g/dL and 2193 patients (52.8 %) had levels ≤3.4 g/dL. Cases with albumin ≤3.4 g/dL were older, frailer, had more comorbidities and were most frequently underweight than those with serum albumin >3.4 g/dL. During the 12-month follow-up, all-cause mortality was 14.8 % (613 patients), with a higher rate in cases with serum albumin ≤3.4 g/dL (459, 20.9 % vs 154, 7.9 % in those with serum albumin >3.4 g/dL; p < 0.0001). During follow-up 121 ischemic events (2.9 %) were registered, 86 (71.1) arterial and 35 (28.9 %) venous. Proportional hazard analysis showed that patients with albumin ≤3.4 g/dL had a higher chance of dying. Furthermore, patients with albumin ≤3.4 g/dL had a higher likelihood of experiencing ischemic events. CONCLUSIONS: Acutely ill hospitalized medical patients with serum levels ≤3.4 g/dL are at higher risk of all-cause mortality and ischemic events, measurement of albumin may help to identify hospitalized patients with a poorer prognosis.

Factors Associated with a High-Risk Profile for Developing Pressure Injuries in Long-Term Residents of Nursing Homes.

OBJECTIVES: Pressure injuries are a health problem of special concern for older adults, and different scales are used to assess the risk of developing these ulcers. We assessed the prevalence of residents at high risk of pressure injuries using a Norton scale and examined its relationships with the most important risk factors in a large sample of Italian nursing homes (NHs). METHOD: This was a cross-sectional cohort study in a sample of Italian long-term care NHs with data collected between 2018 and 2020. RESULTS: We recruited 2,604 NH residents; 1,252 had Norton scale scores, 41 (3.3%) had a diagnosis of pressure injuries, 571 (45.6%) had a Norton score ≤9, and 453 (36.2%) had a score between 10 and 14. The univariate model showed a relationship between female sex, age, dementia, and cerebrovascular disease with a Norton scale score ≤9. The significant associations were confirmed in the multivariate model with stepwise selection. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of NH residents at high risk of pressure injuries was very high using the Norton scale, but the percentage of residents who develop these ulcers is lower. Female NH residents with advanced age, dementia, and a history of cerebrovascular disease should be carefully monitored.

Prevalence of Pharmacologic Treatments for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Relation of Diagnosis of Dementia Among Nursing Homes Residents.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease affecting millions of older adults. We investigated the prevalence of nursing home (NH) residents with COPD and their pharmacologic treatment in relation to the diagnosis of dementia and the prevalence of potentially severe drug-drug interactions (DDIs) of COPD medications with drugs prescribed to treat comorbidities. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional multicentre study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Individuals living in long-term care NHs. METHODS: This cross-sectional cohort study was conducted in a sample of Italian long-term care NHs located throughout the country. Information on drug prescriptions, diseases, and sociodemographic characteristics was collected using medical records between 2018 and 2020. Potentially severe DDIs were analyzed using INTERCheck, developed by the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS. RESULTS: Among the 2604 residents living in 27 NHs (mean age 86.4 ± 8.5 years; women 1995, 76.6%; number of drugs 7.3 ± 3.6), 306 had a diagnosis of COPD (11.8%) and 84 (27.5%) of them were treated with at least 1 medication for COPD (27.5%). Those without dementia had a higher prevalence of drugs for COPD than those with dementia (48% vs 20%, P < .0001). The most used classes for COPD were adrenergics in combination with corticosteroids (16.7%) and inhalant anticholinergics (14.7%). Among those receiving medications for COPD, 45 had at least 1 potentially severe DDI with medications for comorbidities (53.6%) and most of them were associated with an increased risk of QTc prolongation, as beta2 agonists with diuretics, antipsychotics or antidepressants. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Most NH residents with COPD did not receive any medication for this disease despite the potential benefits. Residents with dementia received fewer COPD medications probably because of their compromised physical and cognitive status. One-half of the NH residents taking medication for COPD were exposed to an increased risk of QTc prolongation and torsades de pointe because of pharmacodynamic DDIs with medication for comorbidities. Close monitoring of electrocardiograms for NH residents with COPD is recommended.

Anemia in nursing homes, proton pump inhibitors and prescribing cascade of antianemic drugs.

PURPOSE: Some medications can cause anemia through their effect on gastrointestinal function, such as proton pump inhibitors and H2-antagonists, and on the risk of bleeding, such as anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents. The main aim of this study is to evaluate how anemia is related with the most commonly used drugs in a large sample of NH residents. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted in a sample of Italian long-term care NHs distributed throughout the country. RESULTS: In all, 2602 NH residents recruited from 27 Italian long-term NHs (mean age ± SD: 88.4 ± 8.5) and 441 (16.9%) had a diagnosis of anemia. The unadjusted model showed a significant relation with PPI (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.39-2.11, p < 0.0001). This relation was maintained in the model adjusted for age, sex, CKD, atrophic gastritis, peptic ulcer and rheumatic disease (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.31-1.99, p < 0.0001). PPI users were also at higher risk of being treated with antianemic drugs-iron supplements, folate, vitamin B12 and erythropoietin (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.67-2.48, p < 0.0001)-even if they did not have anemia (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.55-2.42, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Proton pump inhibitors are associated with anemia in NH residents. PPIs are also related with an increased probability of receiving drugs to treat anemia, such as iron supplements, folate or cyanocobalamin and erythropoietin, as the effect of a prescribing cascade. Optimization of PPI prescription is needed to avoid adverse events and promote rational drug prescription.

Laxative Agents in Nursing Homes: An Example of Prescribing Cascade.

OBJECTIVES: Laxatives are among the most prescribed medications to nursing home (NH) patients, and we evaluated the hypothesis that laxative agents could be prescribed as a result of a prescribing cascade. The aims of the study are (1) to investigate the use of laxative drugs in a large sample of Italian NHs and (2) to assess the relationship between medications that can induce constipation and laxative use. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional multicenter study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Individuals living in long-term care NHs. METHODS: Study conducted in a sample of Italian long-term care NHs distributed throughout the country. Information on drug prescriptions, diseases and sociodemographic characteristics collected 4 times during 2018 and 2019. RESULTS: Among the 2602 patients recruited from 27 NHs (mean age ± standard deviation: 88.4 ± 8.5; women: 1994, 76.6%), 1248 were receiving laxatives (48%). Parkinson disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hemiplegia were associated with laxative prescription, and diabetes was associated with a decrease. Benzodiazepines, anti-Parkinson dopaminergic agents, and antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants and mirtazapine) were associated with laxative treatment in univariate and adjusted models. Tricyclic antidepressants users were 3 times more likely to be taking laxatives than nonusers (odds ratio 2.98, 95% confidence interval 1.31-6.77, P = .0093). A larger number of drugs that can induce constipation was associated with laxative use (P = .0003). In all, 2002 individuals had at least 2 different prescription times: from the first to the last visit laxative use rose from 46.1% to 49.9%. Time of stay was also associated with laxative use (P = .016). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Laxatives are among the most prescribed medications in Italian NHs. Medications that can induce constipation, such as antidepressants, anti-Parkinson dopaminergic agents, and benzodiazepines, are often used together with laxatives, and combinations of these drugs further increase the use of laxatives. Optimizing the prescription of psychotropic drugs could help reduce the "prescribing cascade" with laxatives. The length of stay in NHs is often proportional to laxative use and chronic treatment is very common.

Darunavir/Cobicistat Is Associated with Negative Outcomes in HIV-Negative Patients with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate both positive outcomes, including reduction of respiratory support aid and duration of hospital stay, and negative ones, including mortality and a composite of invasive mechanical ventilation or death, in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia treated with or without oral darunavir/cobicistat (DRV/c, 800/150 mg/day) used in different treatment durations. The secondary objective was to evaluate the percentage of patients treated with DRV/c who were exposed to potentially severe drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and died during hospitalization. This observational retrospective study was conducted in consecutive patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Modena, Italy. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to compare patients receiving standard of care with or without DRV/c. Adjustment for key confounders was applied. Two hundred seventy-three patients (115 on DRV/c) were included, 75.8% males, mean age was 64.6 (±13.2) years. Clinical improvement was similar between the groups, depicted by respiratory aid switch (p > .05). The same was observed for duration of hospital stay [13.2 (±8.9) for DRV/c vs. 13.4 (±7.2) days for no-DRV/c, p = .9]. Patients on DRV/c had higher rates of mortality (25.2% vs. 10.1%, p < .0001. The rate of composite outcome of mechanical ventilation and death was higher in the DRV/c group (37.4% vs. 25.3%, p = .03). Multiple serious DDI associated with DRV/c were observed in the 19 patients who died. DRV/c should not be recommended as a treatment option for COVID-19 pneumonia outside clinical trials.

Clinical features and disease course of patients with acute ischaemic stroke just before the Italian index case: Was COVID-19 already there?

Since the end of February 2020, Italy has suffered one of the most severe outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, what happened just before the Italian index case has not yet been investigated. To answer this question, we evaluated the potential impact of COVID-19 on the clinical features of a cohort of neurological inpatients admitted right before the Italian index case, as compared to the same period of the previous year. Demographic, clinical, treatment and laboratory data were extracted from medical records. The data collected included all inpatients who had been admitted to the Neurology and Stroke Units of the Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy, from December 15, 2018 to February 20, 2019 and from December 15, 2019 to February 20, 2020. Of the 248 patients, 97 subjects (39.1%) were admitted for an acute cerebrovascular event: 46 in the 2018/2019 period (mean [SD] age, 72.3 [15.6] years; 22 men [47.8%]), and 51 in the 2019/2020 interval (mean [SD] age, 72.8 [12.4] years; 24 men [47.1%]). The number of cryptogenic strokes has increased during the 2019-2020 year, as compared to the previous year (30 [58.8%] vs. 18 [39.1%], p = 0.05). These patients had a longer hospitalization (mean [SD] day, 15.7 [10.5] days vs. mean [SD] day, 11.7 [7.2] days, p = 0.03) and more frequent cerebrovascular complications (9 [30.0%] vs. 2 [11.1%]), but presented a lower incidence of cardiocerebral risk factors (18 [60.0%] vs. 14 [77.8%]). Right before the Italian index case, an increase in cryptogenic strokes has occurred, possibly due to the concomitant COVID-19.

The multifaceted spectrum of liver cirrhosis in older hospitalised patients: analysis of the REPOSI registry.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge on the main clinical and prognostic characteristics of older multimorbid subjects with liver cirrhosis (LC) admitted to acute medical wards is scarce. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of LC among older patients admitted to acute medical wards and to assess the main clinical characteristics of LC along with its association with major clinical outcomes and to explore the possibility that well-distinguished phenotypic profiles of LC have classificatory and prognostic properties. METHODS: A cohort of 6,193 older subjects hospitalised between 2010 and 2018 and included in the REPOSI registry was analysed. RESULTS: LC was diagnosed in 315 patients (5%). LC was associated with rehospitalisation (age-sex adjusted hazard ratio, [aHR] 1.44; 95% CI, 1.10-1.88) and with mortality after discharge, independently of all confounders (multiple aHR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.37-3.22), but not with in-hospital mortality and incident disability. Three main clinical phenotypes of LC patients were recognised: relatively fit subjects (FIT, N = 150), subjects characterised by poor social support (PSS, N = 89) and, finally, subjects with disability and multimorbidity (D&M, N = 76). PSS subjects had an increased incident disability (35% vs 13%, P < 0.05) compared to FIT. D&M patients had a higher mortality (in-hospital: 12% vs 3%/1%, P < 0.01; post-discharge: 41% vs 12%/15%, P < 0.01) and less rehospitalisation (10% vs 32%/34%, P < 0.01) compared to PSS and FIT. CONCLUSIONS: LC has a relatively low prevalence in older hospitalised subjects but, when present, accounts for worse post-discharge outcomes. Phenotypic analysis unravelled the heterogeneity of LC older population and the association of selected phenotypes with different clinical and prognostic features.

Comparison between drug therapy-based comorbidity indices and the Charlson Comorbidity Index for the detection of severe multimorbidity in older subjects.

BACKGROUND: To know burden disease of a patient is a key point for clinical practice and research, especially in the elderly. Charlson's Comorbidity Index (CCI) is the most widely used rating system, but when diagnoses are not available therapy-based comorbidity indices (TBCI) are an alternative. However, their performance is debated. This study compares the relations between Drug Derived Complexity Index (DDCI), Medicines Comorbidity Index (MCI), Chronic Disease Score (CDS), and severe multimorbidity, according to the CCI classification, in the elderly. METHODS: Logistic regression and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis were conducted on two samples from Italy: 2579 nursing home residents (Korian sample) and 7505 older adults admitted acutely to geriatric or internal medicine wards (REPOSI sample). RESULTS: The proportion of subjects with severe comorbidity rose with TBCI score increment, but the Area Under the Curve (AUC) for the CDS (Korian: 0.70, REPOSI: 0.79) and MCI (Korian: 0.69, REPOSI: 0.81) were definitely better than the DDCI (Korian: 0.66, REPOSI: 0.74). All TBCIs showed low Positive Predictive Values (maximum: 0.066 in REPOSI and 0.317 in Korian) for the detection of severe multimorbidity. CONCLUSION: CDS and MCI were better predictors of severe multimorbidity in older adults than DDCI, according to the CCI classification. A high CCI score was related to a high TBCI. However, the opposite is not necessarily true probably because of non-evidence-based prescriptions or physicians' prescribing attitudes. TBCIs did not appear selective for detecting of severe multimorbidity, though they could be used as a measure of disease burden, in the absence of other solutions.

Pharmacist-driven medication recognition/ reconciliation in older medical patients.

BACKGROUND: In older medical patients polypharmacy is often associated with poor prescription appropriateness and harmful drug-drug interactions. An effort that jointly involved hospital pharmacists and clinicians attending multimorbid older patients acutely admitted to medical wards was implemented for medication recognition and reconciliation aided by the use of a computerized support system. METHODS: Six internal medicine wards enrolled consecutively 90 acutely admitted multimorbid patients aged 75 years or more taking 5 or more different drugs. Two hospital pharmacists carried out the recognition of medications taken at hospital ward admission, and interacted with the clinicians in a process of drug reconciliation, using also the computerized support system to evaluate drug related problems, prescription inappropriateness or drug-drug interactions. The process was repeated at hospital discharge. RESULTS: Among a total number of 911 drugs prescribed to 90 older medical patients at ward admission, the pharmacists identified during their recognition/reconciliation 455 drug-related problems, mainly due to prescription of medications inappropriate for older multimorbid patients and clinically harmful drug-drug interactions. When these drug-related problems were identified by the pharmacist, the attending clinicians accepted and implemented the suggestions for changes for approximately two thirds of the discrepancies, thereby leading to deprescribing the implicated drugs or at least to their closer monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: This interventional prospective study based upon the integrated expertise of hospital pharmacists and clinicians confirms that drug-related problems are frequent in multimorbid older patients acutely admitted to hospital medical wards, and demonstrates afresh the feasibility and mutual acceptance of a trajectory of recognition/reconciliation based upon an integrated collaboration between hospital pharmacists and ward clinicians in the process of medication optimization.

Inappropriate use of antiplatelet agents for primary prevention in nursing homes: An Italian multicenter observational study.

AIM: The benefits of antiplatelets to prevent cardio- and cerebrovascular disease are recognized and appropriate only for "secondary prevention." This multicenter retrospective study was designed to (i) examine the prevalence of residents receiving antiplatelets for primary and secondary cardio- and cerebrovascular prevention, and (ii) evaluate the predictors of inappropriate antiplatelet prescription. METHODS: This study was conducted in a sample of Italian long-term care nursing homes (NHs). Appropriate use of antiplatelets was defined in accordance with the strongest evidence-based indications. RESULTS: Among the 2579 patients recruited from 27 long-term care NHs (age mean ± SD: 86.8 ± 7.3; women: 1995; 77.4%), 1092 were treated with antiplatelets (42.3%) and 619 (56.7%) were receiving antiplatelet agents for inappropriate primary prevention of cardio- or cerebrovascular atherothrombotic events. Age, dementia or cerebral atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes without chronic complication and hypertension were predictors of inappropriate prescription of antiplatelets. Patients inappropriately treated with antiplatelets also had a higher risk of receiving proton pump inhibitors than those appropriately not treated in univariate (OR 95% CI = 2.79 (2.25-3.46, p < 0.0001) and multivariate models (OR 95% CI 2.71 (2.16-3.40, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Most patients receiving antiplatelet agents in NHs are being inappropriately treated for primary prevention of cardio- or cerebrovascular disease. NH residents with diagnosis of dementia or cerebral atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes without chronic complication and hypertension seemed more likely to receive antiplatelets inappropriately. Patients without an evidence-based indication for antiplatelets also received proton-pump inhibitors in an unnecessary "prescribing cascade," which should be assessed for de-prescribing. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 828-832.

Overuse of proton pump inhibitors in nursing homes: An Italian multicenter observational study.

PURPOSE: To examine the prevalence of residents receiving proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for evidence-based indications in a large sample of Italian nursing homes (NHs) and to assess the predictors of potentially inappropriate prescriptions. METHODS: This study was conducted in a sample of Italian long-term care NHs. Information on drug prescription, diseases, and socio-demographic characteristics of NH residents was collected three times during 2018. Appropriate use of PPI was defined in accordance with the strongest evidence-based indications and the Italian criteria for PPI prescription. RESULTS: Among the 2579 patients recruited from 27 long-term care NHs, 1177 (45.6%) were receiving PPIs; 597 (50.7%) were taking them for evidence-based indications. Corticosteroids, anticoagulants, and mean number of drugs were the most important predictors of inappropriate PPIs prescriptions. NH residents receiving ≥13 drugs had about 10 times the risk of receiving a PPI than those taking 0 to 4 drugs. Similarly, residents with more comorbidity had about 2.5 times the risk of receiving a PPI than those in better health. The prevalence of residents inappropriately treated with PPI in individual NHs varied widely, ranging from 22% to 63%. CONCLUSIONS: Number of drugs, comorbidity, corticosteroids, and anticoagulants are the most important predictors of the inappropriate use of PPI in NHs. The wide variability between NHs in the appropriate use of PPIs suggests the need for thorough drug review in this fragile and vulnerable population. Prescribing patterns linked to evidence-based guidelines and national recommendations are essential for rational, cost-effective use of PPIs.