Salut Sant Joan de Reus-Baix Camp has launched a pilot action of the European project STOP-IATRO. The goal is to reduce harm and health problems arising from medication use (drug-induced iatrogenesis) and prevent loss of autonomy in individuals over seventy-five with cardiovascular conditions and polypharmacy.
The initiative, led by the entity's Primary and Community Care Pharmacy Service (SEFAPiC) and developed with professionals from geriatrics, internal medicine, cardiology, and nursing at the Sant Joan de Reus University Hospital, will be implemented in the Intermediate Care Home Hospitalization Unit (HADI) of the center.
The project aims to describe the impact of a structured, multidisciplinary pharmacotherapeutic review on medication excess, potentially inappropriate prescribing, fall risk, and functionality in patients over seventy-five with cardiovascular disease.
This action is part of the implementation phase of the European project STOP-IATRO, coordinated in Catalonia by the Health and Aging Foundation of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (FSiE-UAB). The study will include a three-month recruitment period and follow-up evaluations at six and twelve months, with approximately fifty patients expected to be included.
The initiative addresses polypharmacy, a growing reality associated with population aging, where patients with multiple diseases regularly consume five or more medications. This leads to the "paradox of advanced age," where at-risk patients receive treatments not always applicable to their frailty.
It is estimated that around 20% of medications consumed by individuals over sixty-five may be inappropriate, increasing the risk of falls, functional and cognitive decline, hospitalizations, and mortality. Drug-induced iatrogenesis is also linked to loss of autonomy and a higher risk of institutionalization.
As part of this pilot action, Salut Sant Joan de Reus will establish an interdisciplinary committee (pharmacy, geriatrics, cardiology, internal medicine, nursing) to analyze complex clinical cases, promote knowledge exchange, and optimize pharmacological treatments through consensus meetings.
The study anticipates reducing potentially inappropriate medication and drug-related adverse effects, thereby decreasing avoidable hospitalizations and the risk of falls.
The European project STOP-IATRO, funded by the Interreg Sudoe program, aims to prevent iatrogenic dependency and drug-induced harm in the elderly. It is internationally coordinated by the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse and the Gérontopôle de Toulouse, with Spanish participation from the Fundació Salut i Envelliment de la UAB and the Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga.
