Racial-Ethnic Variations in Potentially Inappropriate Psychotropic Medication Use Among the Elderly

Considering pharmacoequity when deprescribing potentially inappropriate medications

“…1 There is increasing evidence that PIMs are prescribed differentially based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, including from the accompanying article by Niznik and colleagues. [11][12][13][14][15] While the CMS quality metrics are a good first step in encouraging clinical teams to avoid PIMs, we propose that any PIM deprescribing policies and interventions must be designed to promote equity. Pharmacoequity is a term that refers to equity in access to high-quality pharmacotherapy, regardless of race, sex, age, and other socioeconomic factors.…”

“…12 Cumulative socioeconomic status was defined as a combination of area deprivation index, household income, and education level. Lim and Jung used data from the 2012-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys to evaluate potentially inappropriate psychotropic medication prescriptions among 7616 older adults, 13 finding that prescription rates were higher among Hispanic patients compared with non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black patients (odds ratio [OR] 1.22, 95% CI 1.02-1.46). Jungo and colleagues evaluated PIM prescriptions among older adults with multiple chronic conditions who were treated at seven Massachusetts hospitals.…”