TY - JOUR

T1 - Medication for older people - aspects of rational therapy from the general practitioner's point of view

AU - Vass, M

AU - Hendriksen, C

N1 - Keywords: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Denmark; Drug Therapy; Family Practice; Health Services for the Aged; Humans; Physician's Practice Patterns; Polypharmacy; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors

PY - 2005

Y1 - 2005

N2 - This paper discusses GP perspectives on the principles underlying rational pharmacotherapy for older people. The rising use of prescription medicine forces the GP to balance the benefit of evidence group-based appropriate drug use against the problems arising when medication is given to older people and to consider different approaches when evaluating evidence of risk and benefit for the individual. Old people are facing a considerable risk of adverse drug reactions and recent initiatives, including the Continuous Medical Educational Efforts Programme, address issues of inappropriate prescribing practices.The authors recommend and present tools enabling the GP to focus on 'the core prescribing situation'. The logistics to optimise medication including compliance, the use of modern IT and better collaboration and communication between primary and secondary care are discussed. The authors state that a number of pharmacological regimens for older people are outperformed by non-pharmacological treatment alternatives involving competent individualised counselling and public provision of easy (transportation) possibilities for joining centres offering staff and equipment for physical and social activity (including basal aids for hearing and sight).

AB - This paper discusses GP perspectives on the principles underlying rational pharmacotherapy for older people. The rising use of prescription medicine forces the GP to balance the benefit of evidence group-based appropriate drug use against the problems arising when medication is given to older people and to consider different approaches when evaluating evidence of risk and benefit for the individual. Old people are facing a considerable risk of adverse drug reactions and recent initiatives, including the Continuous Medical Educational Efforts Programme, address issues of inappropriate prescribing practices.The authors recommend and present tools enabling the GP to focus on 'the core prescribing situation'. The logistics to optimise medication including compliance, the use of modern IT and better collaboration and communication between primary and secondary care are discussed. The authors state that a number of pharmacological regimens for older people are outperformed by non-pharmacological treatment alternatives involving competent individualised counselling and public provision of easy (transportation) possibilities for joining centres offering staff and equipment for physical and social activity (including basal aids for hearing and sight).

U2 - 10.1007/s00391-005-0310-1

DO - 10.1007/s00391-005-0310-1

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 15965793

VL - 38

SP - 190

EP - 195

JO - Zeitschrift fuer Gerontologie und Geriatrie

JF - Zeitschrift fuer Gerontologie und Geriatrie

SN - 0948-6704

IS - 3

ER -