The "Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults", commonly called the Beers List, are guidelines for healthcare professionals to help improve the safety of prescribing medications for older adults. They emphasize deprescribing medications that are unnecessary, which helps to reduce the problems of polypharmacy, drug interactions, and adverse drug reactions, thereby improving the risk–benefit ratio of medication regimens in at-risk people.
They were first published in 1991 and have been updated every 3 years since 2011.

The criteria are used in geriatrics clinical care to monitor and improve the quality of care. They include lists of medications in which the potential risks may be greater than the potential benefits for people 65 and older. By considering this information, practitioners may be able to reduce harmful side effects caused by such medications.
Drugs listed on the Beers List are categorized according to risks for bad outcomes. The tables include medications that have cautions, should be avoided, should be avoided with concomitant medical conditions, and are contraindicated and relatively contraindicated in the elderly population.
The 2019 criteria include 30 medications or medication classes to be avoided in older adults in general and 40 medications or medication classes that should be used with caution or avoided in certain patients with certain diseases or conditions.

See reference for more information.

Updated Beers Criteria guide drug use in elders

Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Internet. Accessed on May 2, 2018.