The Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults, commonly called the Beers List,[1] are guidelines published by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) for healthcare professionals to help improve the safety of prescribing medications for adults 65 years and older in all except palliative settings.
In addition to using a modified Delphi process for building consensus, the expert panel followed the evidence-based approach that AGS has used since it developed its first practice guideline on persistent pain in 1998.
Following the recommendation of the IOM, AGS added a public comment period that occurred in parallel to its standard invited external peer review process.
The second category includes medications that are potentially inappropriate for older people who have certain diseases or disorders because these drugs may exacerbate the specified health problems.
[citation needed] The 2012 AGS Beers Criteria was released in February 2012 via publication in the early online edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
An example of an included drug is diphenhydramine (Benadryl), a first-generation H1 antagonist with anticholinergic properties, which may increase sedation and lead to confusion or falls.