Table 2.
Change in the numbers of all medications, PIMs, and PPOs after the in-hospital deprescribing intervention.
| Characteristicsa | In-hospital deprescribing | P valueb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before (at admission) | After (at discharge) | ||
| Number of total medicationsb | |||
| Mean (SD) | 9.1 (2.6) | 4.7 (2.5) | < 0.001 |
| Five or more medications | 119 (98.4) | 61 (50.4) | < 0.001 |
| Potentially inappropriate medicationsb,c | |||
| Any use | 86 (71.1) | 52 (43.0) | < 0.001 |
| Mean (SD) | 1.2 (1.1) | 0.6 (0.8) | < 0.001 |
| Potential prescribing omissionsb,c | |||
| Any occurrence | 64 (52.9) | 94 (77.7) | < 0.001 |
| Mean number (SD) | 0.5 (0.5) | 2.1 (1.6) | < 0.001 |
COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, PIM potentially inappropriate medication, PPO potential prescribing omission, SD standard deviation.
aValues are expressed as the number with the percentage of the total number, unless otherwise stated.
bComparisons between the time at admission and discharge were performed by using Fisher’s exact test and Student’s t-test for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. The level of statistical significance was set at 5%.
cBased on the 2015 STOPP/START criteria.