Medication Safety Strategies for Geriatric Patients in the Emergency Department: A Narrative Review
Pharmacist-led medication reviews paired with computer alerts and safety checklists reduce drug-related harm in older emergency patients most effectively.
This narrative review synthesizes evidence for medication safety interventions in geriatric emergency department patients, finding that pharmacy-led reconciliation combined with clinical decision support tools (CDSS) and systematic screening tools (Beers, STOPP/START) offers the most pragmatic evidence base for reducing medication-related harm in older adults. The review addresses a growing patient population (15-25% of ED visits) with high rates of medication-related events (~10% of visits).
What the study was
- Study design
- Narrative review
- Population
- Older adults (≥65y) presenting to emergency departments; population aging context: 15-25% of US ED visits
- Category
- Prevention
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- Academic Emergency Medicine
Why it surfaced
Practical synthesis for a high-volume clinical problem (geriatric ED polypharmacy). Aging topic match; immediately implementable strategies.
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