Review: CBC In Depth – Seniors and Drugs

This is an interesting article that was published in the wake of a recent study conducted by the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI), examining the inappropriate use of medications by seniors in Canada. The article highlights the fact that although seniors only account for 13% of the Canadian population they represent nearly half of all deaths resulting from adverse drug reaction. In 1991 an American team of researchers led by, Dr. Mark A. Beers, developed an index of drugs that posed a high risk of adverse reaction in seniors.

Since then, the “Beers List”, as it is commonly known, has been successful in increasing awareness amongst seniors about drug safety. Nevertheless, the 2007 CIHI study indicates that there has been a recent upsurge in use of certain high risk drugs including the antidepressant amitriptyline. The reasons for this are complex but may be attributable to professional norms of over prescribing in concert with a drug reliant culture.

The implications of this are broad sweeping and significant. Firstly, people’s health is endangered by unnecessary exposure to medications that may cause adverse reaction. Secondly, public and private health and life insurance payors are saddled with onerous costs every time a patient has an adverse reaction to a drug that has been unnecessarily prescribed.

In order to stem this tide, health care payors should be taking an active role in educating their clients about the dangers of consuming medications that carry a high risk of adverse reaction. One suggestion would be to add a Beers List to client informational materials. Concurrently, advocacy for responsible prescribing practices should be undertaken by organizations like the CHCAA and provincial ministries of health. With 3300 seniors dying annually from adverse drug reactions (source, CBC article), combined with a rapidly aging population, this problem is destined to worsen in coming years.