Comparing the Tools to Identify Potentially Inappropriate Medications in the Elderly and Future Research Directions

Since they were first introduced over 20 years ago, the Beers Criteria have been a go-to tool for clinicians to identify potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) [1-3]. The Beers Criteria include drugs to always avoid in those over 65 years of age, drugs to use with caution, and important drug-disease and drug-drug interactions where risk generally outweighs benefit in older adults [3,4]. Having been developed in the United States (US), the Beers Criteria have had limited applicability outside the US [5,6]. In response, several countryspecific variations have been developed [1,2]. More recently, the widely regarded Screening Tool of Older Persons’ potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) was introduced along with its companion tool to address both underand over-prescribing [7,8].