• Patrick Viet-Quoc Nguyen and Raja Tamaz.
• , MSc, is with the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal Research Centre and the Réseau québécois de recherche en vieillissement, Montréal, Quebec.
• Can J Hosp Pharm. 2018 Jul 1; 71 (4): 267-271.

BackgroundProton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely prescribed for gastrointestinal conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease and dyspepsia, and for prevention of gastric ulcer. Although previous reports have described inappropriate prescription of PPIs in the hospital setting, data from the community are lacking.ObjectiveTo assess PPI prescriptions in the ambulatory setting.MethodsPatients presenting to the emergency department of a teaching hospital between June 2016 and March 2017 were prospectively assessed for use of a PPI at home. The appropriateness of PPI prescription was evaluated on the basis of an interview with the patient and review of the medical record. The indication for PPI therapy was verified against current guidelines for the province of Quebec.ResultsOver the 9-month study period, 2417 patients were screened, of whom 871 were included in the study. In relation to the Quebec guidelines, PPI prescription was inappropriate for 267 (30.7%) of the patients. When prescription of PPI for ulcer prevention in certain groups of patients (age ≥ 65 years and using acetylsalicylic acid or platelet aggregation inhibitors; age ≥ 75 years and using celecoxib) was re-classified as appropriate, the proportion of inappropriate PPI prescriptions declined to 20.3% (177/871).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that inappropriate prescribing of PPIs remains problematic in the community setting in the province of Quebec.

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