Utility and limitations of a screening tool of older person's prescription among psychiatric elder patients: A comprehensive review

Our aim was to critically review the literature on the utility and limitations of a Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescription (STOPP) among the elderly, with special focus on older individuals with mental illness. We conducted a literature search on PubMed from January 1991 until July 2019. STOPP criteria was first developed in 2008, in Ireland, by Gallagher and colleagues, last updated in 2015 and culturally adapted to a few countries in the meantime. Compared to other existing tools, like Beers criteria, STOPP seems to be more practical to use, also because their organization focuses on medications classes instead of specific drugs. However, several limitations inherent to the use of explicit criteria are known, namely lack of sensitivity to assess the appropriateness of drug therapy in older individuals with mental illness, which are detailed in the manuscript. STOPP criteria is one of the most comprehensive and useful tool to use in practice. However, more studies in geriatric populations with psychiatric conditions should be performed to assess the real value of this tool in clinical practice.