Inappropriate Prescriptions Sending Hospitalized Seniors Back to the ER

A study from McGill University researchers in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found two in three hospitalized seniors are prescribed drugs that should be avoided by older adults, elevating the risk of injury and bad drug reactions, reports Medical Xpress . The team analyzed data from hospital admissions records, provincial health databases, and filled prescriptions in Quebec, Canada, between October 2014 and November 2016. "The risks associated with some of these drugs are well-known to clinicians, yet they are still commonly prescribed," said McGill's Daniala Weir. "Benzodiazepines, for example, are typically used to treat anxiety and insomnia in adults, but are known to increase the risk of falls for seniors." Doctors may decide that the pluses of a potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) outweigh the minuses. "This could be true in specific situations; however, on the whole, these medications still tend to cause more harm than good for the average older adult," Weir cautioned. The investigators deemed their findings as indicating a need not just for more research into the risks associated with continuing PIMs at hospital release, but also for better guidance to improve prescribing practices for older adults.