title: The prevention of adverse drug reactions in older subjects.
abstract: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a public health problem in older subjects, being responsible for a significant morbidity, disability and mortality. Older subjects are more susceptible to develop ADRs mainly due to polypharmacy, multimorbidity and inappropriate prescribing. The prevention of these drug related negative events represents an important aim for physicians treating older patients. Several strategies could potentially be employed, including state of the art education of medical students and physicians concerning principles of geriatric medicine and appropriate prescription in older subjects, reduction of inappropriate drug use by means of computerized decision support systems, pharmacist involvement and comprehensive geriatric assessment, and finally the identification of at risk older patients. However, there is currently a lack of scientific evidence demonstrating that these strategies can achieve a reduction in ADRs and therefore future intervention studies should be performed to evaluate the best intervention to decrease the burden of drug related problems in the older population.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia Medical School, Italy. acherub@unipg.it
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cherubini
authors.forename: Carmelinda
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gasperini
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dell'Aquila
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cupido
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zampi
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zengarini
authors.forename: Nguyen Hao
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Rocco
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corsonello
authors.forename: Fabrizia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lattanzio
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004347:Drug Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations