According to the results of a new research study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, prescribing of potentially inappropriate and harmful medications to seniors by healthcare professionals is on the rise in Canada. Specifically, the study involved a multi-national collaboration and was carried out at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), and examined the prescription of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) among the elderly and determined that it remains very common. 

Moreover, the study also assessed the costs and prescribing trends for PIMs for individuals aged 65 and over in Canada, spanning the period of 2013 to 2021, based on data from the National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System. The results of the study showed that the quarterly exposure rate to PIMs per 10,000 seniors increased by 83.7% for gabapentinoids, by 6.5% for proton pump inhibitors (PPI), and by 5.4% for antipsychotics.

“Our study demonstrates that targeted strategies to reduce problems arising from drug overprescribing and PIM prescribing in the elderly are needed. It also suggests that sex and gender differences in PIM prescribing rates should be explored in future studies,” said Dr. Jean-François Huon, a pharmacist and a researcher at the MUHC and Nantes University Hospital and member of CADeN.

“Despite recommendations from many medical societies to avoid potentially inappropriate medications and various initiatives to educate the public and physicians about their dangers, PIMs remain a major problem worldwide, including in Canada,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Emily McDonald, Scientist in the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program at the RI-MUHC and Director of the Canadian Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network (CADeN). “Indeed, despite the risks and harmful effects associated with them, 42 per cent of people over 65 in Canada took at least one PIM in 2021. Our study provides a detailed picture of the situation, with a view to guiding the actions needed to reduce their use.”

While the use of PIMs is not always unnecessary, it can increase the risk of adverse events, including falls, fractures, cognitive impairment, and death. Additionally, their use places a strain on the healthcare system, contributing to increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations.