EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE AGS UPDATED 2012 BEERS CRITERIA AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL IN A FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAM Eseoghene Abokede MD Ngodup Tsewang MD Introduction Discussion Methods Results Conclusion  Polypharmacy and prescription of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) have been an ongoing problem in long-term care facilities (LTCF)  Use of multiple medications is not always inappropriate, but polypharmacy and PIMs have been associated with increased risks including adverse drugs events (ADEs), and medication non- adherence 1 resulting in poor outcomes.  Beers list contains a list of medications with side effects far more destructive than any potential therapeutic benefits in the elderly.  This study evaluates and assesses the effectiveness of the updated 2012 AGS Beers criteria as a tool for educating clinicians with regards to drug utilization and prescription.  Safety, side effect profile, drug interactions, patient and family goal of care and life expectancy should be considered when prescribing medications  Didactic provided an experiential learning opportunity for proper medication management based on current evidence and standard of care  One of the limitations of the study is the age range of patients, between The Beers list is applicable to elderly >65 yrs. Although, this individuals did indeed have physiologic ailments that required LTCF Department of Family and Community Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis MN  As part of didactic curricula, Resident Physicians where educated on AGS Beers Criteria and provided with pocket guides  Each of 19 resident physicians had between 1-3 Nursing home residents assigned to them  Resident Physicians reviewed their patients medications and identified any listed on the Beers list  Rationale for continuation vs discontinuation vs gradual dose reduction were discussed  A post survey was conducted to assess perception about the effectiveness of the AGS tool  Awareness of Polypharmacy and PIMs can help reduce risks and adverse effects of drug interactions  AGS Beers List is a useful tool in Physician education Age of NH patients (Mean/SD)65.3 ± 11.5 Sex (Male/Female) (%)64.6/35.4 Patients on >5 drugs (%)89.5 Avg. no of drugs per Pt13.2 ± 5.8 No. of Pt on PIMS (%)83.3* No. of Pt W/ changes for PIMs (%)15 Most common drug classesAntipsychotics, Benzodiazepines Most common diagnosis (by number of those affected) Schizophrenia (13), Dementia (5), Vascular disorders (31), Other psychiatric illnesses (20) Survey: Using the AGS Updated 2012 Beers Criteria as a tool for Medication Management No. of Resident Physicians involved in Study 19 No. of respondents with prior knowledge of Beers criteria as a management tool (%) 52.6 No. of respondents without prior knowledge of Beers criteria as a management tool (%) 47.4 Perceived usefulness of tool in LTCF patient management 5- Extremely Useful 9-Very useful 4- Mostly useful 1- Somewhat useful Perceived usefulness of tool in future practice 2- Extremely Useful 14- Very useful 0- Mostly useful 3- Somewhat useful References 1.Peron EP, Ogbonna K, Donohoe KL. Antidiabetic Medications and Polypharmacy. Clin Geriatr Med. 2015; 31: Gurwitz JH, Field TS, Judge J et al. The Incidence of adverse drug events in two large academic long term care facilities. Am J Me. 205; 118: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. U.S Department of Health and Human Services Web site. t_totexp2012.shtml. Accessed March 2, t_totexp2012.shtml 4.Fick D, Semla T, Beizer J et al. The American Geriatrics Society 2012 Beers Criteria Update Expert Panel. American Geriatrics Society Updated Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults. JAGS. 2012; 60: doi: /j x