Inappropriate Medications in Elderly ICU Survivors: Where to Intervene?

Abstract

Elderly patients are often prescribed potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) during their hospital stay, which are still present at discharge.¹ It is, however, unknown where these PIM therapies are initiated (ie, before hospital admission or in the pre–intensive care unit [ICU] ward, ICU, or post-ICU ward) and if they are stopped or continued across care transitions within the hospital. Furthermore, it is unclear if these PIMs are actually inappropriate medications (AIMs), given the patients' underlying medical condition. We evaluated medication appropriateness in a cohort of critically ill elderly patients, assessing the number and types of PIMs and AIMs at hospital discharge and determining their source of initiation.