Medication management

Abstract

Achieving quality of prescribing is often a major challenge for clinicians caring for older persons. Age related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, the large number of co-occurring chronic diseases, and consequent polypharmacy lead to these prescribing challenges. To avoid polypharmacy and optimize prescribing there are several tools and resources available. This chapter will describe these tools and resources including pharmacist directed services, American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beer’s Criteria, STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons’ potentially inappropriate Prescriptions), START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to the Right Treatment), and AGS Managing Multi-Morbidity Guiding Principles.