•70 percent of doctors treating Medicare patients flunked an
exam on their knowledge of prescribing for older adults.
•The majority of physicians who were asked to take the exam
refused, often giving as their reason that they had a “lack of
interest in the subject.”
•48 percent of patients taking three or more drugs were given
drugs with one or more harmful interactions with other drugs.
•Every minute, two people are hospitalized for adverse drug
reactions (1,500,000 a year) and there is a death every five
minutes and 15 seconds (100,000 a year).
•Every three-and one-quarter minutes, someone suffers drug-induced or drug-worsened memory loss (163,000 a year).
•It is Reversible if you know which drug was the cause.
Help! Help…and Help!
