(In)Appropriate Prescription in the Elderly in Primary Health Care

Abstract

Western societies have witnessed a sharp aging of their population in recent decades. This paradigm shift is reflected in the health care provided to the community, with a growing need to adapt to the aging of the population. The purpose of this article is to understand how the greater number of elderly people affect clinical practice in primary health care and to highlight the tools and mechanisms to be used in the (in)appropriate prescription and prevention of iatrogenesis in this group. Knowing that adverse drug reactions are one of the main reasons for morbidity and mortality in the older population, strategies should be adopted, by prescribing clinicians, to protect these patients who are already debilitated. A systematic approach, when introducing a new therapy, or reviewing it, and the use of prescription support tools, should be some of the practices that should be implemented in clinical practice in primary health care.