Deprescribing in geriatric inpatients is associated with a lower readmission risk: a case control study

Background Polypharmacy is prevalent in older adults and has been associated with iatrogenic harm. Deprescribing has been promoted to reduce polypharmacy. It remains however unclear whether deprescribing during hospital stay can reduce the readmission risk. Objective We sought to determine whether deprescribing in geriatric inpatients was associated with a lower readmission risk at three months post-discharge. Method A case control study was performed, using data from a prospective, controlled study in geriatric inpatients. Deprescribing was defined as the percentage of discontinued preadmission medications and was assessed upon discharge. A logistic regression analysis was used to determine the odds ratio for deprescribing and the outcome of readmissions. An adjusted odds ratio was then estimated, taking into account age, sex, mortality, the number of preadmission medications and the Charlson Comorbidity Index. Results Data of 166 patients were analysed, of whom 61 had experienced at least one readmission. Adjusting for age, number of preadmission medications and mortality resulted in the most informative regression model, based on the lowest Akaike information criterion (adjusted odds ratio 0.981, 95% confidence interval 0.964 to 0.998). Conclusion Deprescribing in geriatric inpatients was associated with a reduced readmission risk at three months post-discharge.