NUR117 - Drugs & the Elderly: ADR, Compliance & Medication Prescriptions

Course overview

Drugs are prescribed for the care of individuals of all ages. But, in older adults, drug use may have greater risks, especially when several drugs are taken at one time. An adverse drug reaction (ADR) is any response that is unintended and undesired that occurs at doses normally used. The reaction may be idiosyncratic or pharmacologically predictable. Age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics together with impaired homeostatic mechanisms and the high incidence of polypharmacy (multiple medications) predispose the elderly to ADRs.