Prevalence of Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Drivers: AAA LongROAD Study

Use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in older adults is associated with high levels of morbidity, mortality and health care expenditures. The Beers Criteria are a widely used tool for identifying PIMs that should generally be avoided in older adults. The American Geriatrics Society 2015 Beers Criteria were applied to baseline data collected from a “brown-bag” review of medications for the Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) participants to examine the prevalence and correlates of PIM use. Overall, 18.5% of the study sample used at least one PIM. The most commonly used therapeutic category of PIM was benzodiazepines (accounting for 16.6% of the total PIMs identified), followed by nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics (16.4%), antidepressants (15.2%) and first-generation antihistamines (10.5%). The variable most predictive of PIM use was the total number of medications being taken. Other factors associated with a significantly increased use of PIMs were being female, being white and living in an urban residence. Use of PIMs is fairly common in older drivers and often involves medications known to impair driving ability and increase crash risk. In order to improve traffic safety among older drivers, drivers should be aware of the types of medications they are taking to ensure optimal safety behind the wheel.

• Record URL:
  http://aaafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/18-0709_AAAFTS-PIMS-Brief_r3.pdf
• Record URL:
  http://aaafoundation.org/prevalence-of-potentially-inappropriate-medication-use-in-older-drivers-findings-from-the-aaa-longroad-study/
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Andrews, H F
  • Betz, M E
  • Chihuri, S
  • DiGuiseppi, C
  • Eby, D W
  • Gordon, A
  • Hill, L L
  • Jones, V
  • Lang, B H
  • Leu, C S
  • Li, G
  • Merle, D P
  • Mielenz, T J
  • Molnar, L J
  • Strogatz, D
• Publication Date: 2018-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Research Brief
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 10p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged drivers; Demographics; Medication
• Identifier Terms: Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01687433
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 30 2018 5:03PM