Elderly Patients in Family Practice: Polypharmacy and Inappropriate Prescribing - Jordan

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the problems of polypharmacy and inappropriate medication use among elderly patients. Design: 400 elderly patients >= 65 years of age attending the family practice clinic at Jordan University Hospital. Materials and method: All patients prescriptions taken over a period of 2 years or more were evaluated for the presence of polypharmacy and/or inappropriate medications use as determined by the updated Beers criteria 2003. Results: Polypharmacy was found among 44.8% of the sample. Inappropriate medications as determined by Beers criteria independent of diagnosis accounted for 132 prescriptions for 118 (29.5%) patients, with the most frequent inappropriate drug being nifedipine. Considering diagnosis, the number of inappropriate medications was 28 prescriptions, with the most frequent one being the intake of non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs in the presence of gastric or duodenal ulcer. Conclusion: The frequency of polypharmacy and inappropriate medications use was relatively high. This highlights the need to educate the healthcare workers more about the issue of inappropriate prescribing for elderly patients.