Potentially Inappropriate Medications

Most potentially inappropriate medication prescriptions fall into five drug classes: analgesics and NSAIDs, PPIs, benzodiazepines or similar agents, antidepressants, and neuroleptics. Potentially inappropriate prescribing increased across publication periods. Oromia had the highest pooled prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use, while Harar had the lowest. Regional pooled prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing ranged from 23% in Harar to 56% in Oromia. Potentially inappropriate medication use increased over time in the included studies. Potentially inappropriate medications are drugs whose adverse-effect risks outweigh expected clinical benefits, especially when safer or more effective alternatives exist. Potentially inappropriate medication refers to use of a medicine whose harms outweigh benefits in an older adult, especially when safer alternatives exist. Potentially inappropriate prescribing includes cases where medication risks outweigh benefits or clinically indicated medication is omitted. Potentially inappropriate prescribing or medication use appeared in eight of the included studies. Multiple explicit tools and guidelines have been developed i…