Pharmacotherapy assessment tools for the elderly: a scoping review

Abstract

The elderly have multi-morbidities and are polymedicated, favoring the occurrence of Drug Adverse Events (ADR); the prescription of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIM) and the occurrence of Potentially Inappropriate Interactions (PII). In this context, pharmacotherapeutic evaluation instruments (PEI) are important strategies for the prevention and detection of PIM and PII, allowing to propose safer pharmacotherapeutic equivalents (PE). Objective: To identify and evaluate PEI and to propose PE. Methods: A scoping review will be conducted in the Scielo and Pubmed databases, with predefined Boolean operators and manual search. The studies that developed and/or validated PEI will be included. Editorial, letters, comments, summaries in annals and thesis and dissertation data will be excluded. There will be no restriction of publication time or language. Two researchers, independently, will do the process of screening and selection of studies. Screening will be done through floating reading of titles and abstracts and the included studies will be read in full and evaluated. The concordance index of the screening steps between the researchers (kappa test) will be calculated. The variables will be: authors; year; country; name of the PEI; age; study design; PIM and PII, associated clinical condition and justification of drug risk; PE and its essentiality (RENAME/Brazil and WHO). Expected results: Elaboration of a conceptual map of evidences of PIM and PII, justifying inappropriate conditions and presenting PE in order to contribute to health decision making.