Is It Safe to Conclude that Beers Criteria Medications Led to Few Adverse Events?
Authors: Adam Golden, Mark H. Beers, Donna M. Fick
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2008)

Letters15 April 2008Is It Safe to Conclude that Beers Criteria Medications Led to Few Adverse Events?Adam Golden, MD, MBA, Mark H. Beers, MD, and Donna M. Fick, RN, PhDAdam Golden, MD, MBAFrom Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Miami, Miami, FL 33125, and Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.Search for more papers by this author, Mark H. Beers, MDFrom Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Miami, Miami, FL 33125, and Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.Search for more papers by this author, and Donna M. Fick, RN, PhDFrom Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Miami, Miami, FL 33125, and Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-148-8-200804150-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Budnitz and colleagues (1) recently reported on emergency department visits attributed to adverse drug reactions in the elderly. Although the authors identified medications that represent an important safety risk to the elderly, we disagree with their conclusion that the “Beers criteria medications caused low numbers of and few risks for emergency department visits for adverse events.” Their method of identifying attribution of risk may be severely flawed for several reasons.The authors required that the emergency department physician explicitly attribute the diagnosis to use of medication. Most emergency department physicians would not miss the fact that hypoglycemia ...References1. Budnitz DS, Shehab N, Kegler SR, Richards CL. Medication use leading to emergency department visits for adverse drug events in older adults. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:755-65. [PMID: 18056659] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Fick DM, Cooper JW, Wade WE, Waller JL, Maclean JR, Beers MH. Updating the Beers criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults: results of a US consensus panel of experts. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163:2716-24. [PMID: 14662625] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Miami, Miami, FL 33125, and Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoMedication Use Leading to Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults Daniel S. Budnitz , Nadine Shehab , Scott R. Kegler , and Chesley L. Richards Is It Safe to Conclude that Beers Criteria Medications Led to Few Adverse Events? Daniel S. Budnitz , Nadine Shehab , Scott R. Kegler , and Chesley L. Richards Metrics Cited ByCurrent strategies to streamline pharmacotherapy for older adultsThe Personalization of Drug Therapy for Elderly PatientsHow to Use the American Geriatrics Society 2015 Beers Criteria-A Guide for Patients, Clinicians, Health Systems, and PayorsUse of Potentially Inappropriate Medications in an Ambulatory Medicare PopulationCurrent awareness: Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety 15 April 2008Volume 148, Issue 8Page: 628-629KeywordsAdverse eventsBeerDrugsElderlyHypoglycemiaInsulinSafety ePublished: 15 April 2008 Issue Published: 15 April 2008 CopyrightCopyright © 2008 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...