A comparison of two tools to screen potentially inappropriate medication in internal medicine patients

Abstract

Internal medicine patients are frequently prescribed PIMs. PIM-Check's PIM detection rate was three times higher than STOPP/START's, and its screening time was shorter thanks to its electronic interface. Nearly half of the PIMs detected were judged to be non-clinically relevant, however, potentially overalerting the prescriber. These tools can, nevertheless, be considered useful in daily practice. Furthermore, the relevance of any PIM detected by these tools should always be carefully evaluated within the clinical context surrounding the individual patient.