Quality indicators for appropriate medication use in vulnerable elders.

Abstract

Quality Indicators for Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders16 October 2001Quality Indicators for Appropriate Medication Use in Vulnerable EldersEric L. Knight, MD, MPH and Jerry Avorn, MDEric L. Knight, MD, MPHFrom Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this author and Jerry Avorn, MDFrom Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-135-8_Part_2-200110161-00009 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Medications are a centrally important aspect of the care of elderly patients, especially vulnerable elders, and are the final common pathway for most therapeutic decisions. While they make up only 14% of the U.S. population, persons 65 years of age and older consume more than 30% of all prescription drugs (1). Because they more often experience acute and chronic illnesses, elders are particularly likely to benefit from the therapeutic and preventive effects of pharmaceutical therapy. However, aspects of the aging process that occur in healthy elders and that are considerably magnified in vulnerable elderly patients increase their risk for drug ...