Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Aug;3(4):165-74.
doi: 10.1177/2042098612443848.

Impact of prescribed medications on patient safety in older people

Sujo Anathhanam  1 , Rachel A Powis  1 , Alison L Cracknell  2 , Jeremy Robson  1
Affiliations
Review

Impact of prescribed medications on patient safety in older people

Sujo Anathhanam et al. Ther Adv Drug Saf. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Appropriate prescribing for older adults presents unique challenges to the prescriber. An understanding of the scale of the problems and contributing factors is essential when designing interventions to improve patient safety. The altered pharmacology of ageing, the existence of multiple medical conditions and the exclusion of elderly patients from many trials render this subgroup of the population particularly vulnerable to underprescribing and overprescribing. Adverse drug events are common, causing significant morbidity and mortality as well as having economic implications. 'High-risk' medications such as opioids, anticoagulants and antipsychotics can have benefits in this group of patients but strategies to optimize their safety are required. Tools exist that help to identify those at risk of adverse drug reactions and to screen for inappropriate prescribing. Developments in information technology are ongoing, and it is hoped that these may enhance the process of medication reconciliation across healthcare transitions and alert the prescriber to potential adverse drug events. This review addresses commonly encountered issues when prescribing for older people, considers strategies to improve medication safety and offers a list of 'top tips' to aid the clinician.

Keywords: adverse drug events; elderly; inappropriate medications; medicines; prescribing; safety.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest in preparing this article.

References

    1. Aguilar M.I., Hart R., Pearce L.A. (2007) Oral anticoagulants versus antiplatelet therapy for preventing stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and no history of stroke or transient ischaemic attacks. Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD006186. - PubMed
    1. Ahmed A. (2003) Myocardial beta-1 adrenoceptor down-regulation in aging and heart failure: implications for beta-blocker use in older adults with heart failure. Eur J Heart Fail 5: 709–715 - PubMed
    1. Auret K., Schug S.A. (2005) Underutilisation of opioids in elderly patients with chronic pain: approaches to correcting the problem. Drugs Aging 22: 641–654 - PubMed
    1. Banerjee S. (2009) The use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia: Time for action. Department of Health Report. Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/di... [Accessed on 15 November 2011].
    1. Barry P.J., Gallagher P., Ryan D., O’Mahony D. (2007) START (screening tool to alert doctors to the right treatment): an evidence-based screening tool to detect prescribing omissions in elderly patients. Age Ageing 36: 632–638 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources