Elderly patients are particularly vulnerable and face a higher risk of medication-related issues, making a thorough review of their prescriptions essential. This study aimed to evaluate the appropriateness of medication use among older adults by identifying potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) and determining the factors that predict their use. This prospective cross-sectional study included 162 older adults admitted to the medical wards of Jimma Medical Center. Data were collected using a structured abstraction tool. Each participant’s medication regimen was evaluated for PIMs according to the 2019 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize findings, and logistic regression analysis was performed with STATA 15.0 software. Statistical significance was set at a p-value < 0.05. During their hospital stay, 103 participants (63.6%) experienced polypharmacy (5–9 medications concurrently), and 16 (9.9%) had hyper-polypharmacy (≥10 medications). Using the Beers Criteria, at least one potentially inappropriate medicine was identified in 118 patients (73%). In total, 191 PIMs were detected (ranging from 0 to 4 per patient), of which 27 (14.1%) belonged to the “avoid” category. The most commonly identified PIMs were furosemide [83 (43 percent)], tramadol [26 (14.5 percent)], and spironolactone [22 (11.4 percent)]. Nearly all PIMs (187, or 96.9 percent) were prescribed on a regular/scheduled basis. Patients with thrombocytopenia were less likely to receive PIMs, whereas those diagnosed with heart failure had 7.35 times higher odds of being prescribed a potentially inappropriate medicine. Close to three-quarters of the older adult patients in this study were prescribed at least one potentially inappropriate medicine. These findings highlight the need for local research exploring the clinical, economic, and patient-centered impacts of PIM use to guide whether the Beers Criteria should be routinely applied when prescribing for older adults in this setting. Targeted interventions, particularly for patients with heart failure, could help decrease the use of inappropriate medications.
