Association between education level and potentially inappropriate medication among older patients

To the Editor,
Aging is frequently accompanied by altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications, and elderly with multimorbidity are at increased risk of receiving potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). PIM is defined as the prescription of medications conferring more risk than benefit, with significant drug–drug interactions, and those with high risk of precipitating adverse reactions; the presence of PIMs is associated with lower quality of life, functional status, and increased incidence of emergency visits, unnecessary hospitalizations, and higher healthcare expenditure [1]. Potential risk factors for PIMs in the elderly include advanced age, certain co-existing disorders, and higher medication numbers, but the relationship between patient education and PIM is rarely addressed. We aimed to investigate whether education level affects the risk of PIMs in a cohort of elderly with medical illnesses.