Resumen de Reasons for initiation of proton pump inhibitor therapy for hospitalised patients and its impact on outpatient prescription in primary care
Elena Villamañán Bueno, M. Ruano Encinar, Catalina Lara, José Suárez de Parga, Eduardo Armada, Rodolfo Álvarez Sala Walther
Background: Proton-pump-inhibitors are often prescribed unnecessarily in hospitals, which in turn induces their prescriptions after discharge.
Objective: To evaluate patients starting treatment with proton-pump-inhibitors during hospitalisation and proportion of inappropriate prescriptions. Patient risk factors and whether initiation in hospital induced their continuation in ambulatory care were also analyzed.
Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study in a tertiary hospital (1350 beds) was carried out on the first Tuesday in February 2015. Pharmacists screened admitted patients treated with proton-pump-inhibitors using an electronic prescription program (FarmaTools®-5.0). They also checked patients’ home medications before admission by accessing a primary care program (Horus®). Authorized indications according to Spanish-MedicinesAgency and those recommended in Spanish-Clinical-PracticeGuidelines were considered appropriate. Hospital-medical-records were checked to know whether proton-pump-inhibitors were prescribed at discharge.
Results: Three hundred seventy nine patients were analysed.
Two hundred ninety four of them were prescribed proton-pumpinhibitors (77.6%). Treatment was initiated during admission for 143 patients (48.6%, 95% CI: 42.8-54.5). Of them, 91 (63.6%, 95% CI: 55.2-71.5) were inappropriate, mainly due to its inclusion unnecessarily in protocols associated with surgeries or diseases (56 cases of 91, 61.5%). Additional inappropriate indications were surgical stress ulcer prophylaxis for surgeries without bleeding risks (19.8%) and polypharmacy without drugs that increase the risk of bleeding (18.7%). Of 232 discharge reports assessed, in 153 (65.9%, 95% CI: 59.5-72), proton-pump-inhibitor continuation was recommended, of them, 51 (33.3%) were initiated at admission.
Conclusion: In hospitalized patients there is a high prevalence of prescription of proton-pump-inhibitors unnecessarily. The superfluous use is often associated with the prescription of treatment protocols. Those treatments started in the hospital generally did not contribute to over-use existing primary care, most of them were removed at discharge.
