Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Medications and falls. Causation, correlation, and prevention

M Monane1, J Avorn

  • 1Program for the Analysis of Clinical Strategies, Gerontology Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Clinics in Geriatric Medicine
|November 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Medication use and fall rates rise with age, particularly for psychoactive drugs like benzodiazepines. Optimizing medication is key to reducing fall risk in the elderly.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Are risk evaluation and mitigation strategies associated with less off-label use of medications? The case of immune thrombocytopenia.

Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics·2015
Same author

Clinical and regulatory features of drugs not initially approved by the FDA.

Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics·2013
Same author

Defining "innovativeness" in drug development: a systematic review.

Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics·2013
Same author

Drug labels: a flawed source of data for studying orphan drug approvals.

Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics·2012
Same author

Defining the epidemiology of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw: prior work and current challenges.

Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA·2012
Same author

Differential risk of death in older residents in nursing homes prescribed specific antipsychotic drugs: population based cohort study.

BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·2012

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Pharmacology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Medication use and fall incidence significantly increase in older adults.
  • Psychoactive medications, especially long-acting benzodiazepines, are strongly linked to elevated fall risk.
  • Frail elderly individuals, who are most susceptible to falls, often have the highest medication burden.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between medication use and fall rates in the elderly.
  • To identify specific drug classes contributing to increased fall risk.
  • To evaluate the potential of medication regimen optimization for fall prevention.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on medication use and falls in aging populations.
  • Analysis of drug burden and fall rates in frail elderly patients.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Consideration of confounding factors such as indication for medication.

    • Main Results:

    • A clear association exists between certain medications, particularly psychoactive agents, and increased fall risk.
    • The frailest elderly patients often receive the highest number of medications.
    • Confounding by indication complicates direct causal links but does not negate the risk.

    Conclusions:

    • Improving medication regimens is a highly effective strategy for reducing fall risk in the elderly.
    • Targeting psychoactive medications and reducing overall drug burden in frail individuals is crucial for fall prevention.
    • Medication management represents a significant opportunity to enhance safety and reduce falls in aging populations.