Korean J Clin Pharm.  2019 Mar;29(1):25-32. 10.24304/kjcp.2019.29.1.25.

The Evaluation of Drug Utilization Review on Potentially Inappropriate Medications for Elderly Patients in a Tertiary Hospital

• Cho YH
• Kim KJ

• KMID: 2446872
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.24304/kjcp.2019.29.1.25

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
South Korea made a list of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) for elderly patients in 2015 and has prompted medical professionals to prescribe proper medication by using the drug utilization review (DUR) system. It has been three years since the system was introduced, but related studies have rarely been conducted. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the DUR system on the prescription of PIMs for elderly patients.
METHODS
The data on the prescription of PIMs for elderly patients (≥ 65 years) who received medical treatment between March 1st and May 31st in 2015 (before introduction of the DUR system) and who received medical treatment between March 1st and May 31st in 2018 (after introduction of the DUR system) were retrospectively collected from electronic medical records.
RESULTS
The prescriptions of PIMs decreased from 3,716 (7.7%) to 3,857 (6.9%) (p < 0.001). The prescription of escitalopram and paroxetine, among selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, increased significantly, and that of short-acting benzodiazepines also increased significantly from 454 (0.93%) to 624 (1.2%).
CONCLUSION
Prescription of PIMs for elderly patients significantly decreased (p < 0.001) after the DUR system was introduced. Further expanded studies of PIMs need to be conducted for the safety of elderly patients.

Keyword

Drug utilization review; elderly patient; inappropriate medications

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Benzodiazepines
Citalopram
Drug Utilization Review*
Drug Utilization*
Electronic Health Records
Humans
Korea
Paroxetine
Potentially Inappropriate Medication List*
Prescriptions
Retrospective Studies
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
Tertiary Care Centers*
Benzodiazepines
Citalopram
Paroxetine
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors