Using a Beers Criteria-Based Eductaional Intervention to Increase Practitioners' Knowledge and Confidence of Potentially Inappropriate Medications with Older Adults

Identification of potentially inappropriate medications for adults 65 years and older is important to prevent adverse drug events, falls, delirium, and gastrointestinal bleeding. The aim of this project was to implement an evidence-based educational intervention designed for practitioners that increases knowledge and confidence about the 2012 American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIM) use in older adults, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) high-risk medications, and prescribing alternatives. The study used a pre- and posttest design to measure knowledge of PIMs and prescribing alternatives, confidence level in identifying PIMs, provider engagement, and patient engagement. The evidence-based education intervention improved practitioners’ knowledge and confidence., the number of PIMs filled decreased 36% after the intervention. The findings indicate that the evidence-based educational intervention using 2012 AGS Beers Criteria for PIM use in older adults can improve practitioners’ knowledge and confidence to identify PIMs, CMS high-risk medications, and prescribing alternatives and further promote patient safety by preventing adverse drug events, falls, delirium, and gastrointestinal bleeding.