Criteria for drug selection in frail elderly persons

Background: Elderly patients with multiple morbidities and polypharmacy are at an increased risk of adverse drug events (ADEs). Appropriate prescribing, preserving the balance between drug effectiveness and safety, and treatment adherence may prevent these ADEs. In this study, we investigated which drug properties, such as effectiveness, safety, clinical experience and convenience, are relevant to the choice of medicine most appropriate for frail elderly patients.