Evaluating polypharmacy and prescribing practices among geriatric patients: a cohort study from Oman

Background: Polypharmacy and inappropriate prescribing are prevalent concerns in the geriatric population, often leading to adverse drug events and poor health outcomes. Older adults are particularly vulnerable due to multiple comorbidities and age-related physiological changes. Aim: To assess the prevalence of polypharmacy and inappro¬priate prescribing among geriatric patients at a tertiary hospital in Oman. Methodology: A retrospective cohort study was conducted by reviewing 100 prescriptions of geriatric patients. Data were extracted from electronic medical rec¬ords using the TrakCare® system. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more medications, and inappro¬priate prescribing was evaluated using the Beers Criteria. Results: The average patient age was 73.63 years, with no significant gender differences in age distribution. Cardiovascular and endocrine-metabolic disorders were the most common comorbidities. Most patients were prescribed 6–10 medications, with none receiving fewer than four. Patients aged 60–69 had the highest average number of medications. A significant gender difference was observed in inap¬propriate prescribing, with females receiving more inappropriate medications than males (p=0.028). Conclusion: The study highlights the high prevalence of polypharmacy and inappropriate prescribing in geriatric patients at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH). These findings stress the need for individualized and cautious prescribing prac¬tices to improve medication safety in this population.