Our expert answers 3 Questions
I'm currently thinking about a couple of important issues related to medication use in older adults. First, it is challenging to determine which medications older adults should be using because older adults are often excluded from randomized trials. This exclusion makes it difficult to generalize the evidence about the risks and benefits of medications to this population. Second, even when we identify the best medications for older adults, there's the practical issue of getting them onto the most appropriate regimens. Clinical inertia— the difficulty of stopping medications that are no longer necessary and starting new ones—poses a significant barrier.
Older adults have the highest rates of medication use, adverse medication events, and comorbidities. This makes them especially vulnerable to poor outcomes if they aren't on necessary medications or if they are on inappropriate ones. Therefore, optimizing medication regimens for older adults is crucial.
Each year, over 6 billion prescriptions for medication are written in the United States. Nearly 9 out of 10 older adults are taking at least one prescription medication. Finding out which medication regimens are safe and effective for older adults is an issue that currently affects, or soon will affect, nearly every American.