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The Class Effect: Is It Relevant to Geriatrics?
Author(s) -
Beers Mark H.,
Stefanacci Richard G.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53408.x
Subject(s) - medicine , formulary , class (philosophy) , geriatrics , drug class , drug , family medicine , psychiatry , artificial intelligence , computer science
The formulary of medications available today provides a remarkable range of choices to all prescribers and their patients. In some ways, choices have become easier to make, whereas in other ways, choosing has become a nightmare of dueling considerations. One approach to simplification has relied on class effect. The hypothesis is that drugs within a pharmacological class all work similarly, have similar advantages and disadvantages, and are—to a large extent—interchangeable. If one develops familiarity with one or two agents in a class, that is all one needs to know, because there is little difference between agents within a drug class. The question is whether this approach based on class effect is relevant to geriatrics.