Use and prescription appropriateness of drugs for peptic ulcer and gastrooesophageal reflux disease in hospitalized older people

Purpose The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of use and prescription appropriateness of drugs for peptic ulcer and gastrooesophageal reflux disease (GERD) at hospital admission and discharge. Methods Patients aged 65 years or more hospitalized from 2010 to 2016 in 101 Italian internal medicine and geriatric wards in the context of the REPOSI register were scrutinized to assess if they were prescribed with drugs for peptic ulcer and GERD at hospital admission and discharge. Appropriateness of prescription was assessed considering the presence of specific conditions (i.e., history of peptic ulcer or gastrointestinal hemorrhages, advanced age, Helicobacter Pylori) or gastro-toxic drug combinations, according to the criteria provided by the reimbursement rules of the Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (NOTA 1 and 48). Results Among 4715 enrolled patients, 3899 were discharged alive. At hospital discharge, 2412 (61.9%, 95%CI: 60.3–63.4%) patients were prescribed with drugs for peptic ulcer and GERD, a 12% of increase from hospital admission. Almost half of the patients (N = 1776, 45.6%, 95%CI: 44.0–47.1%) were inappropriately prescribed or not prescribed: among the drugs for peptic ulcer and GERD users, about 60% (1444/2412) were overprescribed, and among nonusers, 22% (332/1487) were underprescribed. Among patients newly prescribed at hospital discharge, 60% (392/668) were inappropriately prescribed. The appropriateness of drugs for peptic ulcer and GERD therapy decreased by 3% from hospital admission to discharge. Conclusions Hospitalization missed the opportunity to improve the quality of prescription of this class of drug.