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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Optimising drug treatment for elderly people
— the prescribing cascade | | Author(s) | Paula A Rochon, Jerry H Gurwitz |
| Journal title | British Medical Journal, vol 315, no 7115, 25 October 1997 |
| Pages | pp 1096-1099 (BMJ Aging issue) |
| Keywords | Drugs ; Medical care. |
| Annotation | This article focuses on an under-recognised, and largely preventable drug related problem. The 'prescribing cascade' begins when an adverse drug reaction is misinterpreted as a new medical condition, and the patient is at further risk if another drug is prescribed. To prevent the prescribing cascade, doctors should always consider any new signs and symptoms as a possible consequence of current drug treatment. The prescription of a new drug specifically to treat an adverse effect should be considered the choice of last resort in the care of older patients: using non-pharmacological treatment for managing a patient's medical condition should be considered. The authors suggest that if drug treatment is necessary, the lowest feasible dose of the drug should be used and alternative drugs with fewer adverse effects considered. |
| Accession Number | CPA-971118420 A |
| Classmark | LLD: LK * |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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