A cross-sectional study of psychotropic drug use in the elderly: Consuming patterns, risk factors and potentially inappropriate use.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present study were: (1) to describe psychotropic drug consumption patterns in an outpatient population aged 65 years and older; (2) to determine the impact of a number of demographic and clinical factors on psychotropic consumption; and (3) to determine the ratio of potentially inappropriate psychotropic agents prescribed to the above population.
METHODS: Cross-sectional, observational study of outpatients aged 65 years and older. Data on sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected. Psychotropic drugs were classified into three categories: anxiolytics-hypnotics, antidepressants, and antipsychotics. To determine the risk factors for psychotropic drug use among these patients, a multivariate logistic regression model was developed and subsequently validated using bootstrap resampling techniques. To identify the psychotropic drugs to be avoided, a review of treatments received by the patients was performed based on the 2015 version of the Beers criteria.
RESULTS: The study included 225 outpatients of whom 30.7% were on psychotropic drugs for chronic treatment. The highest likelihood of psychotropic utilisation corresponded to the following profile: female, living in a nursing home, having two or more prescribing physicians, and having received six or more different diagnoses. According to Beers criteria, 51 patients (22.7% of the sample and 73.9% of patients on psychotropic drugs) had been prescribed at least one potentially inappropriate psychotropic drug.
CONCLUSION: Elderly patients commonly use psychotropic medications and are the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of these drugs. It is necessary to re-evaluate the pertinence and accuracy of these medical prescriptions. © European Association of Hospital Pharmacists 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.