088 – Interview: Avoiding Inappropriate Prescribing in Aging & What to Know About the Beers Criteria

Better Health While Aging

English - April 04, 2019 11:00 - ★★★★★ - 109 ratings
Medicine Health & Fitness Science Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Previous Episode: 087 Coping with Difficult Older Parents

Next Episode: 089 Giving Yourself (And Your Family) a Gift on National Healthcare Decisions Day

Dr. K talks with Dr. Michael Steinman about risky medications in older adults and how to ensure safer prescribing. They also discuss the 2019 update to the Beers Criteria list of potentially inappropriate medications for older adults, which Dr. Steinman helped author.

.searchie-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .searchie-container iframe, .searchie-container object, .searchie-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with geriatrician Dr. Michael Steinman, Professor of Medicine at UCSF and an expert on medication safety in older adults. He recently served on the expert panel that authored the American Geriatrics Society 2019 Updated AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults, which lists medications that older adults should avoid or use with caution. They discuss:

What is “inappropriate prescribing” and why it affects an estimated 50% of older adults

How ageism can affect medication prescribing

How inertia, hospitalizations, and other factors lead to medications “accumulating”

Why it’s not safe to assume that all your medications are being prescribed for a good reason

How to be proactive about asking your health providers to review whether all medications are still necessary and appropriate

What is the Beer’s Criteria list and how does the Expert Panel decide what should be on it

Why older adults become more vulnerable to medications as they age

Some key Beers Criteria medications older adults should know about

What you can do if you’re taking a medication on the Beer’s Criteria list

How pharmacists can help, and other tips on ensuring safer medication use in aging

Related episodes:

046 – Interview: Deprescribing & Reducing Risky Medications in Aging

073 – Anticholinergic Medications & Protecting Brain Health

034 – Preventing Falls: 10 Types of Medication to Reconsider

Related Resources:

(Note: To date, HealthinAging.org and the American Geriatrics Society have not made the full 2019 Beers Criteria available for free to the public. For a full list, an option is to purchase the pocketcard, which we link to below.)

From HealthinAging.org:

Medications Older Adults Should Avoid or Use With Caution

Ten Medications Older Adults Should Avoid Or Use With Caution

What to do & What to Ask if a Medication You Take is Listed in the AGS Beers Criteria List

About the 2019 Beers Criteria Update:

American Geriatrics Society 2019 Updated AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults

2019 AGS Beers Criteria Pocketcard (costs $8-$10, lists all medications)

Using Wisely: A Reminder on the Proper Use of the American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria

Other Related Articles by Michael Steinman:

What is this drug for? Prescriptions without indications

Beyond the Prescription: Medication Monitoring & Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults

How to Taper Benzodiazepines (Helpful consumer handout with sample tapering schedule)