"Guidelines for Safer Medication Use in Elderly Patients"

The Beers criteria is a guideline to help guide safe prescribing practices in the geriatric population. Adverse events and drug interactions should almost always be on our differential diagnosis with elderly patients. Emergency physicians should be familiar with the Beers criteria, which includes recommendations to avoid certain medications due to potential harm, such as antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and nonselective NSAIDs. However, the guidelines lack clear citations and discussion of absolute risk, making it difficult to incorporate into evidence-based practice.