Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in community-dwelling older adults: an application of STOPP/START version 3 to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

Ann Sinéad Doherty; Frank Moriarty; Fiona Boland; Barbara Clyne; Tom Fahey; Rose Anne Kenny; Denis O’Mahony; Emma Wallace

doi:10.1007/s41999-025-01201-3

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in community-dwelling older adults: an application of STOPP/START version 3 to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

Ann Sinéad Doherty
, Frank Moriarty
, Fiona Boland
, Barbara Clyne
, Tom Fahey
, Rose Anne Kenny
, Denis O’Mahony
, Emma Wallace

School of Medicine

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Trinity College Dublin

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Aim: To assess the prevalence of the latest version of STOPP/START criteria (Version 3) in a nationally representative sample of older community-dwelling adults and explore any association with healthcare utilisation and functional decline over time. Findings: In a sample of 3619 older Irish adults, a total of 31% (n = 1123) experienced STOPP potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and exposure to any STOPP PIM was associated with increased hospital admissions and functional decline over time. Just over one-third of participants (36.2%; n = 1309) experienced START potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), with increasing age and number of chronic conditions associated with START PPOs. Message: Over one-third of participants experienced a subset of STOPP PIMs, another one-third experienced a subset of START PPOs. Balancing the relative benefits and risks of medication in older adults with multimorbidity continues to present challenges for both prescribers and older adults.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1389-1402
Number of pages	14
Journal	European Geriatric Medicine
Volume	16
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-025-01201-3
Publication status	Published - Aug 2025

Keywords

Activities of daily living
Healthcare utilisation
Potentially inappropriate prescribing
START
STOPP

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10.1007/s41999-025-01201-3

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Doherty, A. S., Moriarty, F., Boland, F., Clyne, B., Fahey, T., Kenny, R. A., O’Mahony, D., & Wallace, E. (2025). Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in community-dwelling older adults: an application of STOPP/START version 3 to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). European Geriatric Medicine, 16(4), 1389-1402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-025-01201-3

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title = "Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in community-dwelling older adults: an application of STOPP/START version 3 to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)",

abstract = "Aim: To assess the prevalence of the latest version of STOPP/START criteria (Version 3) in a nationally representative sample of older community-dwelling adults and explore any association with healthcare utilisation and functional decline over time. Findings: In a sample of 3619 older Irish adults, a total of 31\% (n = 1123) experienced STOPP potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and exposure to any STOPP PIM was associated with increased hospital admissions and functional decline over time. Just over one-third of participants (36.2\%; n = 1309) experienced START potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), with increasing age and number of chronic conditions associated with START PPOs. Message: Over one-third of participants experienced a subset of STOPP PIMs, another one-third experienced a subset of START PPOs. Balancing the relative benefits and risks of medication in older adults with multimorbidity continues to present challenges for both prescribers and older adults.",

keywords = "Activities of daily living, Healthcare utilisation, Potentially inappropriate prescribing, START, STOPP",

author = "Doherty, \{Ann Sin{\'e}ad\} and Frank Moriarty and Fiona Boland and Barbara Clyne and Tom Fahey and Kenny, \{Rose Anne\} and Denis O{\textquoteright}Mahony and Emma Wallace",

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year = "2025",

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doi = "10.1007/s41999-025-01201-3",

language = "English",

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Doherty, AS, Moriarty, F, Boland, F, Clyne, B, Fahey, T, Kenny, RA, O’Mahony, D & Wallace, E 2025, 'Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in community-dwelling older adults: an application of STOPP/START version 3 to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)', European Geriatric Medicine, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 1389-1402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-025-01201-3

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in community-dwelling older adults: an application of STOPP/START version 3 to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). / Doherty, Ann Sinéad; Moriarty, Frank; Boland, Fiona et al.
In: European Geriatric Medicine, Vol. 16, No. 4, 08.2025, p. 1389-1402.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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T1 - Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in community-dwelling older adults

T2 - an application of STOPP/START version 3 to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

AU - Doherty, Ann Sinéad

AU - Moriarty, Frank

AU - Boland, Fiona

AU - Clyne, Barbara

AU - Fahey, Tom

AU - Kenny, Rose Anne

AU - O’Mahony, Denis

AU - Wallace, Emma

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.

PY - 2025/8

Y1 - 2025/8

N2 - Aim: To assess the prevalence of the latest version of STOPP/START criteria (Version 3) in a nationally representative sample of older community-dwelling adults and explore any association with healthcare utilisation and functional decline over time. Findings: In a sample of 3619 older Irish adults, a total of 31% (n = 1123) experienced STOPP potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and exposure to any STOPP PIM was associated with increased hospital admissions and functional decline over time. Just over one-third of participants (36.2%; n = 1309) experienced START potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), with increasing age and number of chronic conditions associated with START PPOs. Message: Over one-third of participants experienced a subset of STOPP PIMs, another one-third experienced a subset of START PPOs. Balancing the relative benefits and risks of medication in older adults with multimorbidity continues to present challenges for both prescribers and older adults.

AB - Aim: To assess the prevalence of the latest version of STOPP/START criteria (Version 3) in a nationally representative sample of older community-dwelling adults and explore any association with healthcare utilisation and functional decline over time. Findings: In a sample of 3619 older Irish adults, a total of 31% (n = 1123) experienced STOPP potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and exposure to any STOPP PIM was associated with increased hospital admissions and functional decline over time. Just over one-third of participants (36.2%; n = 1309) experienced START potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), with increasing age and number of chronic conditions associated with START PPOs. Message: Over one-third of participants experienced a subset of STOPP PIMs, another one-third experienced a subset of START PPOs. Balancing the relative benefits and risks of medication in older adults with multimorbidity continues to present challenges for both prescribers and older adults.

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IS - 4

ER -

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in community-dwelling older adults: an application of STOPP/START version 3 to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

Abstract

Keywords

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