Understanding the Beers Criteria: Safe Medication Practices for Seniors

What Is the Beers Criteria?

The Beers criteria are a set of medications that are not recommended for elderly adults due to their potential for causing adverse side effects. The Beers criteria have been widely adopted by healthcare providers and are considered the gold standard for ensuring the safe use of prescription medications in older people.

The criteria were first developed by Dr. Mark H. Beers in 1991, and have been updated several times since. They are based on a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence on drug efficacy and safety in the older adult population.

The Beers criteria categorise medications into two categories:

1. Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs)

PIMs are drugs that should be avoided in elderly adults due to their high risk of causing adverse side effects. Examples include:

- Sedating antihistamines (eg. Benadryl)

- Anticholinergics (eg. Levsin, Detrol)

- Benzodiazepines (eg. Valium)

- Digoxin

2. Potentially Appropriate Medications with Extra Monitoring

These are drugs that can be used in elderly adults, but they require close monitoring to ensure safety and avoid potential side effects. Examples include:

- ACE-inhibitors

- NSAIDs (eg. Ibuprofen, Naproxen)

- Diabetes drugs

- Opioid painkillers (eg. Hydrocodone, Oxycodone)

The Beers criteria are not meant to be used as a rigid set of rules, but rather as a tool to help healthcare providers make decisions about which medications are most appropriate for elderly adults. The decision to use a medication that is included on the Beers criteria will always depend on the

individual patient's circumstances.