Table 3.
The estimated costs of medications in a 12 month period amongst participants prescribed a potentially inappropriate medication
| All participants who were prescribed at least one PIMa (n = 434) | Costs (AUD$), mean (SD) | Proportion of total PIM costs, mean % (SD) |
|---|---|---|
| Total PIMs cost | 410.89 (479.45) | – |
| Daily PIMs cost | 0.92 (1.26) | – |
| Cost of PIMs by type of medication | ||
| Antidepressants | 8.21 (32.63) | 2.1 (9.2) |
| Antihistaminesc | 0.87 (12.60) | 0.4 (5.5) |
| Anti-infective | 8.30 (44.17) | 2.1 (10.8) |
| Antiparkinsonian agents | 0.37 (5.99) | 0.1 (1.2) |
| Antispasmodics | 0.83 (16.09) | 0.2 (2.8) |
| Antipsychotics | 85.11 (202.83) | 21.0 (33.6) |
| Antithrombotics | 8.57 (53.79) | 1.6 (10.3) |
| Benzodiazepines | 54.78 (93.58) | 18.7 (29.1) |
| Cardiovasculard | 5.40 (26.16) | 4.8 (19.8) |
| Central alpha blockers | 3.45 (29.98) | 0.5 (5.9) |
| Endocrine | 77.23 (382.14) | 7.4 (22.5) |
| Gastrointestinale | 6.30 (38.54) | 3.0 (13.6) |
| Pain medications | 10.23 (54.50) | 3.4 (15.2) |
| Peripheral alpha-1 blockers | 1.71 (13.82) | 0.4 (3.8) |
| Proton-pump inhibitors | 139.54 (163.58) | 34.4 (38.3) |
| Participants with cognitive impairment or dementia who were prescribed at least one PIMb (n = 375) | ||
| Total PIMs cost | 416.93 (499.86) | – |
| Daily PIMs cost | 1.14 (1.37) | – |
| Cost of PIMs by type of medication | ||
| Antidepressants | 6.66 (31.34) | 1.6 (8.3) |
| Antiemetic | 9.24 (58.76) | 1.5 (8.6) |
| Antihistamines | 4.83 (38.06) | 1.3 (8.9) |
| Anti-infective | 8.72 (46.04) | 2.2 (11.2) |
| Antimuscarinics | 3.15 (22.88) | 1.0 (7.0) |
| Antiparkinsonian agents | 0.31 (6.09) | 0.03 (0.7) |
| Antispasmodics | 0.96 (17.31) | 0.2 (3.1) |
| Antipsychotics | 93.76 (211.87) | 22.7 (34.1) |
| Antithrombotics | 6.84 (46.89) | 1.3 (8.8) |
| Benzodiazepines | 50.59 (89.44) | 17.3 (28.0) |
| Cardiovasculard | 5.62 (27.61) | 4.9 (20.3) |
| Central alpha blockers | 3.29 (29.33) | 0.5 (6.1) |
| Endocrine | 74.39 (394.53) | 6.8 (21.8) |
| Gastrointestinale | 6.11 (37.88) | 3.0 (13.6) |
| H2-receptor antagonists | 4.60 (27.99) | 1.6 (10.3) |
| Pain medications | 10.39 (56.89) | 3.2 (14.6) |
| Peripheral alpha-1 blockers | 1.42 (12.74) | 0.3 (3.6) |
| Proton-pump inhibitors | 126.07 (156.35) | 30.5 (36.3) |
aIncludes all study participants with complete medication data exposed to a PIM in the 12 month period; PIMs were based on the Beers Criteria for all older adults
bParticipants with cognitive impairment and dementia: sub-group analysis includes participants with a PAS-Cog score > 4 or a formal diagnosis of dementia exposed to a PIM in the 12 month period; PIMs were based on the standard list of PIMs from the Beers Criteria for all older adults and the additional list of PIMs from the Beers Criteria for people with cognitive impairment and dementia
All costs are based on Dispensed Price for Maximum Quantity (DPMQ) pricing from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). cOnly first generation antihistamines are considered for PIMs for all older adults; ddigoxin, nifedipine and amiodarone; emetoclopramide