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A medication screening tool for cognitive aging researchers
Peter J Batsakes1, Holly E Hancock, Wendy A Rogers
1School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332-0170, USA.
Psychology and Aging
|April 5, 2002
Summary
Researchers can now utilize SMART (Screening Medications: Aging Research Taxonomy), a web tool to identify medication side effects in older adults. This helps distinguish drug impacts from healthy aging, improving research accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Pharmacology
- Medical Informatics
Background:
- Medications are frequently used by older adults.
- Distinguishing medication side effects from normal aging is challenging in research.
- Existing tools may not adequately address age-related medication impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a web-based tool for screening medication side effects in older populations.
- To aid researchers in differentiating drug-induced effects from aging processes.
- To provide a resource for assessing the severity of cognitive, sensory, and motor side effects.
Main Methods:
- Development of a web-based application named SMART (Screening Medications: Aging Research Taxonomy).
- Inclusion of data on common medications used by older adults.
- Functionality for researchers to query medication side effect information.
Main Results:
- SMART provides accessible information on medication side effects relevant to aging research.
- The tool allows for the screening of medications based on potential side effect severity.
- Researchers can utilize SMART to refine study designs and data interpretation.
Conclusions:
- SMART is a valuable resource for researchers studying medication effects in older adults.
- The tool facilitates a clearer understanding of drug-related versus age-related changes.
- Improved research accuracy in gerontology is achievable with tools like SMART.