Recent Literature Update on Medication Risk in Older Adults, 2015-2016.

Medications can pose considerable risk in older adults. This article annotates four articles addressing this concern from 2016. The first provides national data on the use of specific prescription, over-the-counter and dietary supplements in older adults and their change over time. The second discusses the opportunity of deprescribing ineffective/unnecessary stool softeners (i.e., docusate) routinely given to older hospital patients. The third national study examines common adverse drug events in older emergency room patients. Finally, a study published demonstrating a potential association between melatonin and fractures is discussed. This manuscript is intended to provide a narrative review of key publications in medication safety for clinicians and researchers committed to improving medication safety in older adults.