Geriatrics Toolbox is our blog offering tools, resources, and insights into the care of older adults.
Jun
19
Polypharmacy. A Concise Summary
Posted in Medications
Polypharmacy can be defined several different ways. The simplest definition is “concurrent use of many different drugs, including prescription medications, over-the-counter medicine, complementary and alternative medications, and dietary supplements.”
Keep an Eye on the Kidneys
Posted in Clinical Care
As people age, their ability to filter blood, called the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decreases. Drugs that are eliminated by the kidney can accumulate with declining GFR.
Osteoarthritis: Still Painful But Different
Posted in Clinical Care
Osteoarthritis: Still Painful But Different Chronic pain is very common in older adults and sho uld not be underestimated. Prevalence figures in people over age 65 vary widely, ranging from 35% to 85%, depending on the population.
2012 Beers Criteria
Posted in Medication Related Problems
So the new Beers criteria have been released. As background, a geriatrician, Mark H. Beers, MD, sought to identify a list of medications back in 1991 that were generally considered inappropriate for use in seniors, primarily due to toxic adverse effects for this population.
New Chest Guidelines, finally!
The long awaited newest Chest Guidelines (some are calling it AT9), are finally out, all 800 pages of it. It’s actually down from the 900+ pages from the last version. So how do you go about getting a handle on it? Read the executive summary. It’s a 40 page document that describes the change in review and recommendation methodology, and it also lists every recommendation in the guideline.