Abstract
Falls are a major public health concern in the older population, and certain medication classes are a significant risk factor for falls. However, knowledge is lacking among both physicians and older people, including caregivers, concerning the role of medication as a risk factor. In the present statement, the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS) Task and Finish group on fall-risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs), in collaboration with the EuGMS Special Interest group on Pharmacology and the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) Geriatric Medicine Section, outlines its position regarding knowledge dissemination on medication-related falls in older people across Europe. The EuGMS Task and Finish group is developing educational materials to facilitate knowledge dissemination for healthcare professionals and older people. In addition, steps in primary prevention through judicious prescribing, deprescribing of FRIDs (withdrawal and dose reduction), and gaps in current research are outlined in this position paper.
Highlights
Falls in older people are a significant public health priority because of their high prevalence, related injuries, reduced quality of life for fallers, and the associated economic burden [1]
The recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses by the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS) Task and Finish group on fall-risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs) confirmed the association between psychotropics and fall risk [15]
The EuGMS Task and Finish group on FRIDs recommends that falls and fallrelated injuries should be actively sought as adverse events in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) when applying for a license for a new drug to enter the market [52]
Summary
Falls are under-recognized as adverse drug events. Healthcare professionals are reluctant to withdraw fallrisk-increasing medications. The EuGMS Task and Finish group on fall-risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs) proposes in this paper its recommendations on dissemination of knowledge about, management of, and future research on FRIDs
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