According to a recent report more than one in five, or nearly 7-million elderly Americans who are living on their own are taking medications that could out their lives at risk. Researchers at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that more than 21% of seniors had been prescribed at least one of 33 potentially inappropriate drugs that could put them at risk of injury or illness. Of these, 3% had been given drugs that are not recommended for elderly people. Dr Jerry Avorn, a doctor at Harvard Medical School lied the blame on physicians. He recommends that physicians should review all the medications a patient is using at least twice a year.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association 2001; 286:2823-2829, 2866-2868
