Updated 2022 AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults Now Posted for Public Comment

  • The public comment period for reviewing the 2022 AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults is now open through December 9th! Click here for more details: http://ow.ly/2ZGZ50LAaZc

NEW YORK (November 10, 2022) —The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today opened a public comment period for reviewing the draft updated 2022 AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults. Last updated in 2019, the AGS Beers® Criteria remain one of the most frequently cited reference tools in geriatrics, detailing certain types of medications which may be inappropriate to prescribe to older people who are not receiving hospice or palliative care. Comments from any and all members of the public—accepted only at https://www.americangeriatrics.org/form/ags-beers-criteria-public-comment through 5pm ET on December 9, 2022—will help inform the final version of the AGS 2022 Updated Beers® Criteria, slated for release this fall. 

For their proposed 2022 update, the interprofessional panel of geriatrics experts responsible for the AGS Beers® Criteria identified more than 40 potentially problematic medications or classes of medications presently organized across five lists:

  • Two draft lists detail potentially inappropriate medications for most older adults or for those with specific health conditions; 
  • One draft list describes certain medications that should be used only with considerable caution; 
  • One draft list details specific medication combinations that may lead to harmful “drug-drug” interactions; and
  • A final draft list describes certain medications that should be avoided or dosed differently for older people with poor kidney function.

The AGS issued its first revision to the Beers Criteria in 2012, one year after assuming responsibility for maintaining the resource. Since then, the AGS Beers Criteria® have played a central role in high-quality, person-centered care for older adults, influencing everything from research and professional education to care quality measures and health policy decisions.

Please note: The draft updated 2022 AGS Beers Criteria® available for review is subject to change between the close of the public comment period and release of the final updated AGS Beers Criteria®, which will be published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and available on GeriatricsCareOnline.org. For additional information, please contact the AGS at 212-308-1414 or info.amger@americangeriatrics.org

About the American Geriatrics Society 
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Our 6,000+ members include geriatricians, geriatrics nurse practitioners, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists who are pioneers in advanced-illness care for older individuals, with a focus on championing interprofessional teams, eliciting personal care goals, and treating older people as whole persons. AGS believes in a just society, one where we all are supported by and able to contribute to communities where ageism, ableism, classism, homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination no longer impact healthcare access, quality, and outcomes for older adults and their caregivers. AGS advocates for policies and programs that support the health, independence, and quality of life of all of us as we age.

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