INTRODUCTION
Elderly people are regarded as a special group of the whole society population, so every aspect of their life should be given specific attention. Due to the decline of body’s functions, elderly people generally experience more chronic conditions or diseases, which usually require co-administration of multiple medications and make them more vulnerable to adverse drug events or medication-related problems.
The Beers Criteria, originated in 1991, were the first generally accepted explicit criteria in aid of better prescribing for elderly patients and have been used widely. It was first developed for nursing home patients. Under the support of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), five versions of Beers Criteria have been compiled and updated, respectively in 1997, 2003, 2012, 2015, and 2019, and are now intended for application and evaluation medications in patients over the age of 65.1–6 Beers criteria have listed, even though not every, potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), namely medications with adverse risks outweighing benefits when compared to other alternative therapies.7
There are a number of elderly patients in developing countries and regions who are exposed to inappropriate prescriptions or polypharmacy, and this significantly contributes to global PIMs.8,9PIMs have been proved to be related to poor health outcomes, including falls, confusion, and even mortality, leading to negative clinical and economic consequences.10,11 It has also been widely believed that PIMs are preventable.12–14Interventions applying explicit criteria have been found to be an effective strategy to reduce inappropriate medication usage.4,15,16
The aim of this research was to estimate the prevalence of PIMs in elderly patients in China based on 2019 updated Beers Criteria. The relationship between the prevalence of PIMs and four main factors including age, number of current diseases, number of prescribed medications, and hospital tier was also investigated. The results can serve as a baseline for future studies if the Beers Criteria were to be generally used in China.