Potentially inappropriate medications according to STOPP-J criteria and risks of hospitalization and mortality in elderly patients receiving home-based medical services

BACKGROUND: Although potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) have been linked to poor health outcomes, country-specific PIM criteria have not been compared. Thus, we compared the identification of PIMs between the Screening Tool for Older Person’s Appropriate Prescriptions for Japanese (STOPP-J) and the 2015 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria in elderly patients receiving home-based medical services. METHODS: A 5-year prospective cohort study was conducted with 196 patients receiving home-based medical services. Data were collected using questionnaires and chart reviews and included detailed information on prescription medication. STOPP-J and the Beers Criteria were used to categorize PIM and non-PIM recipients. All-cause mortality and first hospitalization were compared using a multivariate Cox regression model. RESULTS: PIMs were detected in 132 patients (67.3%) by STOPP-J and in 141 patients (71.9%) by the Beers Criteria, and the mean numbers of PIMs were 1.3 ± 1.3 and 1.2 ± 1.1, respectively. The three most frequently prescribed STOPP-J PIMs were hypnotics (26.8%), diuretics (25.6%), and NSAIDs (12.6%), compared with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) (29.8%), hypnotics (26%), and NSAIDs (8.1%) according to the Beers Criteria. STOPP-J PIMs were associated with all-cause mortality (HR 3.01, 95% CI 1.37–6.64) and hospitalization (HR 1.91, 95% CI 1.17–3.09); neither was associated with Beers Criteria PIMs. Using a modified Beers Criteria (excluding PPIs), PIMs were correlated with first hospitalization (HR 1.91, 95% CI 1.17–3.09). CONCLUSIONS: PIMs categorized by STOPP-J are associated with hospitalization and mortality in Japanese patients receiving home-based medical services. PPIs, commonly used for acid-related diseases, do not seem to have deleterious effects on health outcomes. Country-oriented, medication-specific criteria would be of considerable clinical utility.