Association between changes in potentially inappropriate medication use and adverse outcomes during hospitalization in older adults: A retrospective study

To evaluate the association between the change in the number of PIMs in older adults during hospitalization and adverse outcomes. This retrospective cohort study was conducted in the internal medicine wards of a tertiary teaching hospital between May and December 2017. 3,460 patients (77.5±8.4 years, 60.4% male) were enrolled, and 206 patients died during hospitalization. PIMs were defined using the Beers Criteria as suggested by the American Geriatrics Society. Adverse outcomes studied were functional decline (a loss in 1 or more activities of daily living from admission to discharge), prolonged length of stay (LOS) (≥14 days), and mortality. 2258 patients (65.3%) had increasing PIMs during hospitalization. They tended to be younger (77.0±8.3 versus 78.5±8.5 years, p