These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Prescribing in older people.
    Author: Le Couteur DG, Hilmer SN, Glasgow N, Naganathan V, Cumming RG.
    Journal: Aust Fam Physician; 2004 Oct; 33(10):777-81. PubMed ID: 15532150.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Prescribing medications to older people is difficult due to comorbidity, limited evidence for efficacy, increased risk of adverse drug reactions, polypharmacy, and altered pharmacokinetics. OBJECTIVE: This article describes the principles underlying clinical geriatric pharmacology including approaches to evaluating the evidence for risk and benefit, and adjusting dose for age related pharmacokinetic changes. DISCUSSION: The challenge for the general practitioner is to balance an incomplete evidence base for efficacy in frail, older people against the problems related to adverse drug reactions without denying older people potentially valuable pharmacotherapeutic interventions.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]