Beers criteria

The Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults, commonly called the Beers List,[1] are guidelines published by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) for healthcare professionals to help improve the safety of prescribing medications for adults 65 years and older in all except palliative settings.[2][3] They emphasize deprescribing medications that are unnecessary, which helps to reduce the problems of polypharmacy, drug interactions, and adverse drug reactions, thereby improving the risk–benefit ratio of medication regimens in at-risk people.[4]

The criteria are used in geriatrics clinical care to monitor and improve the quality of care. They are also used in training, research, and healthcare policy to assist in developing performance measures and document outcomes. These criteria include lists of medications in which the potential risks may be greater than the potential benefits for people 65 and older. By considering this information, practitioners may be able to reduce harmful side effects caused by such medications. The Beers Criteria are intended to serve as a guide for clinicians and not as a substitute for professional judgment in prescribing decisions. The criteria may be used in conjunction with other information to guide clinicians about safe prescribing in older adults.[5][non-primary source needed][6][non-primary source needed].

The criteria are frequently used internationally although they were only intended for use in the United States. Some countries have adapted the criteria to their own context. Others countries have observed that the listed medications may not be applicable in their country.[7]

  1. ^ "Beers Criteria Medication List". Duke Clinical Research Institute. Duke Health. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. ^ American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria Update Expert Panel (2019-01-29). "American Geriatrics Society 2019 Updated AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults". Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 67 (4). Wiley: 674–694. doi:10.1111/jgs.15767. ISSN 0002-8614. PMID 30693946. S2CID 59338182. The AGS Beers Criteria® is an explicit list of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) that are typically best avoided by older adults in most circumstances or under specific situations, such as in certain diseases or conditions.
  3. ^ Steinman, Michael A.; Beizer, Judith L.; DuBeau, Catherine E.; Laird, Rosemary D.; Lundebjerg, Nancy E.; Mulhausen, Paul (2015-10-08). "How to Use the American Geriatrics Society 2015 Beers Criteria-A Guide for Patients, Clinicians, Health Systems, and Payors". Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 63 (12). Wiley: e1–e7. doi:10.1111/jgs.13701. ISSN 0002-8614. PMC 5325682. PMID 26446776.
  4. ^ American Geriatrics Society (2012). "Identifying medications that older adults should avoid or use with caution: the 2012 American Geriatrics Society updated Beers criteria". New York: Foundation for Health in Aging.
  5. ^ Budnitz, Daniel S.; Lovegrove, Maribeth C.; Shehab, Nadine; Richards, Chesley L. (24 November 2011). "Emergency Hospitalizations for Adverse Drug Events in Older Americans". N Engl J Med. 365 (21): 2002–12. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1103053. PMID 22111719. S2CID 37983506.
  6. ^ Hamilton, Hilary; Gallagher, Paul; Ryan, Cristin; Byrne, Stephen; O'Mahony, Denis (13 June 2011). "Potentially Inappropriate Medications Defined by STOPP Criteria and the Risk of Adverse Drug Events in Older Hospitalized Patients". Arch Intern Med. 171 (11): 1013–1019. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.215. hdl:10468/3863. PMID 21670370.
  7. ^ Lee, Georgie; Lim, Joy-Francesca; Page, Amy T.; Etherton-Beer, Christopher; Clifford, Rhonda; Wang, Kate (2022). "Applicability of explicit potentially inappropriate medication lists to the Australian context: A systematic review". Australasian Journal on Ageing. 41 (2): 200–221. doi:10.1111/ajag.13038. ISSN 1741-6612. PMID 35025135. S2CID 245941385.