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[Appropriate medication prescribing in older people]
H Blain1, P Rambourg2, A Le Quellec3
1Pôle gérontologie, centre Antonin-Balmes, CHU de Montpellier, 39, avenue Charles-Flahault, 34295 Montpellier cedex 5, France; Mac-Via-LR, université de Montpellier, 34000 Montpellier, France; M2H Euromov, université de Montpellier, 34000 Montpellier, France.
La Revue De Medecine Interne
|May 25, 2015
Summary
Adverse drug effects are a major cause of hospitalization in older adults. This review offers guidance on appropriate prescribing, highlighting under-prescribed drugs, adverse drug reactions, and unfavorable benefit-risk medications for seniors.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Public Health
Context:
- Adverse drug effects are a leading, preventable cause of hospitalization in the elderly population.
- Existing guidelines and medication lists for older adults are numerous but may not be easily accessible for daily practice.
- The aging population presents unique challenges in medication management due to physiological changes and polypharmacy.
Purpose:
- To provide a practical guide for appropriate prescribing in older people.
- To summarize key information on under-prescribed medications, drugs with adverse effects, and those with unfavorable benefit-risk ratios in the elderly.
- To offer educational tables for prescribers to facilitate evidence-based decision-making in daily practice.
Summary:
- This review outlines general principles for appropriate medication prescribing in older adults.
- It details medications frequently under-prescribed, drugs requiring caution due to adverse effects, and those with a poor benefit-risk profile in this demographic.
- The information is compiled into pocket-sized educational tables for healthcare professionals.
Impact:
- Aims to reduce avoidable hospitalizations in older people due to drug-induced adverse effects.
- Supports healthcare providers (physicians, surgeons, pharmacists) in making safer prescribing decisions.
- Enhances the quality of care and medication safety for the geriatric population.
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