AGS Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults
The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has released its latest update to one of geriatrics’ most frequently cited reference tools, 'The AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults.'
Published in it's entirety in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the AGS Beers Criteria® is a compendium of medications potentially to avoid or consider with caution because they often present an unfavorable balance of benefits and harms for older people.
AGS convened a panel of 13 experts who reviewed more than 1,400 clinical trials and research studies published between 2017 and the last update in 2015. Across its five lists, the 2019 AGS Beers Criteria® includes:
- 30 individual medications or medication classes to avoid for most older people
- 40 medications/medication classes to use with caution or avoid when living with certain diseases/conditions
- Several changes to medications previously identified as potentially inappropriate
Companion tools released with the 2019 update include:
- an expanded JAGS editorial outlining the proper use of the AGS Beers Criteria®
- a host of resources available from GeriatricsCareOnline.org, from mobile apps to a pocket reference card, to help clinicians implement prescribing recommendations
- tools available from HealthinAging.org to aid older adults and caregivers in understanding what “potentially inappropriate” medications mean
To go to the Beers criteria in JAGS, click here.
To read AGS's editorial comment on the JAGS article, click here.
To go to AGS's press release, click here.
To go to AGS's Geriatrics Care Online resources, click here.
To access AGS's Health in Aging tools online, click here.