Multidisciplinary Program "Optimization of Drug Prescription" : Impact on the Quality of Drug Prescription in Hospitalized Elderly Patients

Drug prescription is a fundamental component of care for the elderly. Even if drugs are a chance for the older patient, because of changes in pharmacological, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters related with age and acute/or chronic pathologies, the risks associated with drug prescription, particularly those associated with potentially inappropriate medication (PIM), are increased in the elderly.

We suppose that many of hospitalized elderly have at least one prescribed medication without valid indication. Conversely, many diseases are currently undertreated in elderly patients: e.g. medicines used to treat heart failure and osteoporosis are underused in 20 to 70% of patients. Moreover, PMI prescription is associated with an increased of morbidity, mortality, risk of drug-related adverse events, utilization of health care system, care costs and impairment of quality of life. Thus, optimization of drug prescription is a major concern for improvement of the quality and safety of care in elderly.

The investigators' hypothesis is that a multidisciplinary program entitled "Optimisation de la Prescription MEDicamenteuse" ("Optimization of drug prescribing") focused on drug prescription optimization including a physician training to the specificity of the drug prescription in the elderly and a checklist allowing an adapted and standardized pharmaceutical analysis is effective in reducing PIM in elderly patients hospitalized in short-term medical and geriatric care departments.