Translation and adaptation of the STOPP-START screening tool to Portuguese for detecting inappropriate prescriptions in older people: a protocol.

INTRODUCTION

Rational prescribing for older adults is a challenge because they usually exhibit multimorbidity and multimedication. One available and reliable tool to tackle this issue consists of the Screening Tool of Older People's Prescriptions (STOPP) and the Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment (START), which has been associated with improvements in clinical outcomes. Our goal here is to translate and validate the STOPP-START screening tool for use with Portuguese general practitioners/family physicians.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The study will be conducted in four phases: phase I-translation of the STOPP-START screening tool to Portuguese; phase II-data collection of patient data; phase III-intrarater reliability and agreement study; and phase IV-inter-rater reliability and agreement study.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Central Health Region of Portugal (where the study will take place). Every participant will sign a written consent form. We intend to publish the full article in a related peer-reviewed journal, conference presentations, reports and in a PhD thesis.