Background Certain drugs are classified as potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) for the elderly because they carry an increased risk of adverse drug events in this patient group. Several assessment tools/lists have been developed for identification of this problem in the past decades, both in the USA and Europe.

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of PIM according to EU(7)-PIM and a national PIM adaptation lists explicit criteria among the hospitalised patients in the internal medicine ward over 65 years with polypharmacy (taking more than five medications).

Material and methods This was a cross-sectional, patients’ medical record-based study carried out from February to June 2017. The medication was analysed regarding the active ingredient, strength, dosage, and administration route of preparation as well as the original prescribers (general practitioner or hospital physicians). Descriptive statistics were used for data evaluation.

Results Two hundred and ninety-eight patients were enrolled into the study. This patient group represents 60% of the whole of patients over 65 years, who were admitted to the ward during the monitored period. The average age of this group was 77.6 years, the male ratio was 52%. They took 6.92 medications on average. Forty-eight per cent of the polypharm patients had one or more PIM prescribed. The most frequently prescribed potentially inappropriate medications were alprazolam, theophylline, clonazepam, doxazosin and tramadol. Sixty-four per cent of PIMs were prescribed by family doctors. The frequent prescribing of PPI and metoclopramide in the hospital (65%) has to be highlighted. These two medicines, as PIMs are listed only by the EU(7).

Conclusion The study showed a high prevalence of polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications in our old patient. This fact supports the need for the reconciliation service of clinical pharmacists to screen PIM, because of the patients admitted to the hospital with these medications. The information leaflet was compiled based on these results, which contains the method of stopping or changing PIMs. A control study is planned after 6 months to evaluate the efficiency of pharmacists’ intervention.

No conflict of interest