Evaluation polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication use among geriatric individuals aged 80 years and olders

Purpose : The current study aimed to investigate the frequency of polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication use and associated factors in the elderly population. Methods : This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted among patients registered in the elderly polyclinic in Elazığ city center between February and May 2025. A total of 300 individuals aged 80 years and over were included in the study. Sociodemographic and medical history of the participants were obtained through face-to-face interviews. Polypharmacy was defined as the regular use of five or more medications or prescription supplements simultaneously. Potential inappropriate drug use of the participants was evaluated with Beers criteria. Results : The median number of medications used by the participants was 5.00 (0.00-12.00), the median number of current chronic diseases was 3.00 (0.00-8.00). The frequency of polypharmacy in the study population was 54.7% (n=164), and the frequency of inappropriate medication use was 78.0% (n=234). No statistically significant difference was found between the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and polypharmacy. PIM was more common in participants with incontinence (p=0.044). Statistically significant higher PIM was found in participants with polypharmacy (p<0.001). Conclusion: The current study showed that the prevalence of polypharmacy (54.7%) and PIM (78%) were very high in the elderly population. The increase in the number of chronic diseases and the number of medications used was associated with PIM. It is recommended that physicians providing services to the geriatric population should consider the risk of PIM and polypharmacy to reduce adverse drug effects.