Comparison of explicit criteria for potentially inappropriate drug prescribing among the elderly: a narrative review

Abstract

The appropriateness and quality of prescribing in the elderly can be assessed through various methods and protocols. Each of them has certain advantages and disadvantages which should be taken into account when they are utilized in everyday practice and care for the geriatric population (people ≥ 65 years). The study aimed to perform a comprehensive literature review and comparison of the existing tools for the assessment of potentially inappropriate drug prescribing in the elderly. The literature search on explicit tools for potentially inappropriate prescribing drugs was performed through the PubMed databases for the period from 1991 until December 2022. The results are structurally presented with the year of publication of the criteria, organization of criteria, and their advantages and disadvantages. Twenty-five different explicit criteria were found in 92 published articles, based on different settings and written in different countries. Many protocols for the detection of potentially inappropriate drugs have been published in recent years, with overlaps between them and different implications for everyday practice. Further research is needed to determine the optimal characteristics of a tool for PIM detection and its role in the optimization of drug prescribing.