[Usefulness of a geriatric intervention program in the improvement of drug treatment for institutionalised patients]

To determine the prevalence of polypharmacy, and inadequate or suboptimal prescriptions. To analyse the impact of a geriatric intervention program on the optimisation and rationalisation of the use of drugs in institutionalised patients.

A prospective study on a cohort of 21 sheltered subjects.

Drug prescription, inadequate prescription according to "Screening Tool for Older Person's Prescriptions" (STOPP) criteria and suboptimal prescriptions according to "Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment" (START) criteria. The intervention was based on analysing treatments and medication issues, correlate treatments to functional and mental situation, together with life expectancy, determine efficient and safe drugs, prescribe generic drugs, detect and avoid polymedication, inadequate and suboptimal prescriptions.

Twenty one subjects were include in the study,(mean age 80.43±8.84 years old, with 57.1% women, 76.86±27.76 Barthel and 14.52±7.73 MMSE). On admittance, the number of drugs was 6.29±3.48 (generics on a 20.23% ratio), 14.4% consumed 9 or more, 71.4% complied with any STOPP criteria and 52.4% complied with any START criteria. After the intervention, the number of drugs was 4.9±3.03 (generics on a 61.78 % ratio), 14.3% complied with any STOPP criteria and 4.8% complied with any START criteria.

Polymedication, inadequate prescription and suboptimal prescription are frequent issues in residential and nursing environment. For our study population in an intervention program based upon geriatric assessment and the rationalisation on drug use, the drug consumption as well as inadequate and suboptimal prescription has reduced, along with increasing the use of generic drugs.