Mark H. Beers
Encyclopedia
Mark Howard Beers was an American
geriatrician
whose research on drug interactions among the elderly led to the creation of the eponym
ous Beers Criteria
, which lists prescription medications that may have deleterious side effects in older patients.
, New York
, Beers graduated from Tufts University
and was awarded a degree in medicine in 1982 from the University of Vermont College of Medicine
, and then performed his postgraduate medical training at Harvard University
and Mount Sinai Hospital
in New York City
. He was appointed to the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles
, in 1987 as assistant professor of medicine and also served at the RAND
Corporation from 1989 to 1992 as a senior natural scientist.
-area nursing homes, looking at the medications they were prescribed and their case histories. The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
in 1988, found that many had symptoms of mental confusion and tremors that were caused by antidepressant
s, antipsychotic
s and sedative
s that they had been prescribed.
Using this research as a foundation, Beers prepared a list in 1991 called Beers Criteria
that specifies several groups of medications that can cause harm in elederly patients, such as antihistamine
and muscle relaxant
s, with the list updated again in 2003. Medical professionals use this list in reviewing case histories and in selecting medications for their patients.
A study performed by Beers was published in the November 1990 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
found that hospitals made mistakes 60% of the time in recording medications older patients were taking at the time they were admitted to the hospital, with three or more errors on 18% of the patient records reviewed in the study. He suggested that patients above age 65 should be asked a second time to confirm details of medications being taken around a day after admission to the hospital. Beers recommended that all people should carry a current list showing the name, dosage and frequency of all medications being taken.
, a reference book for medical professionals published by Merck & Co.
, and co-edited The Merck Manual of Geriatrics. He edited the 2003 edition of the Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition, which was designed for use by laypeople. In a review in The New York Times
, Jane Brody
said the book "could well be the most useful of all" of the plethora of medical guides aimed at the general public.
He stepped down as editor in chief of The Merck Manuals
in 2006 due to disability.
Beers had lived in Miami Beach and Fire Island, New York
. He died at age 54 on February 28, 2009, in Miami Beach, Florida
, due to complications of diabetes and was survived by his husband, Stephen K. Urice, as well as by his mother and a sister.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
geriatrician
Geriatrics
Geriatrics is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or...
whose research on drug interactions among the elderly led to the creation of the eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous Beers Criteria
Beers Criteria
The Beers Criteria is a list of specific medications that are generally considered inappropriate when given to elderly people. For a wide variety of individual reasons, the medications listed tend to cause side effects in the elderly due to the physiologic changes of aging. The list was originally...
, which lists prescription medications that may have deleterious side effects in older patients.
Biography
Born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Beers graduated from Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
and was awarded a degree in medicine in 1982 from the University of Vermont College of Medicine
University of Vermont College of Medicine
The University of Vermont College of Medicine is an American medical school located in Burlington, Vermont and associated with the University of Vermont . Established in 1822, it is the nation's seventh oldest medical school...
, and then performed his postgraduate medical training at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was appointed to the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, in 1987 as assistant professor of medicine and also served at the RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
Corporation from 1989 to 1992 as a senior natural scientist.
Beers Criteria
Beers led a team from Harvard University that studied 850 residents of BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
-area nursing homes, looking at the medications they were prescribed and their case histories. The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
in 1988, found that many had symptoms of mental confusion and tremors that were caused by antidepressant
Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood;...
s, antipsychotic
Antipsychotic
An antipsychotic is a tranquilizing psychiatric medication primarily used to manage psychosis , particularly in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A first generation of antipsychotics, known as typical antipsychotics, was discovered in the 1950s...
s and sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
s that they had been prescribed.
Using this research as a foundation, Beers prepared a list in 1991 called Beers Criteria
Beers Criteria
The Beers Criteria is a list of specific medications that are generally considered inappropriate when given to elderly people. For a wide variety of individual reasons, the medications listed tend to cause side effects in the elderly due to the physiologic changes of aging. The list was originally...
that specifies several groups of medications that can cause harm in elederly patients, such as antihistamine
Antihistamine
An H1 antagonist is a histamine antagonist of the H1 receptor that serves to reduce or eliminate effects mediated by histamine, an endogenous chemical mediator released during allergic reactions...
and muscle relaxant
Muscle relaxant
A muscle relaxant is a drug which affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeutic groups: neuromuscular blockers and spasmolytics...
s, with the list updated again in 2003. Medical professionals use this list in reviewing case histories and in selecting medications for their patients.
A study performed by Beers was published in the November 1990 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is a peer-reviewed journal of the American Geriatrics Society.Also involved in the journal are the American Therapeutic Society and Texas Geriatrics Society.- External links :*...
found that hospitals made mistakes 60% of the time in recording medications older patients were taking at the time they were admitted to the hospital, with three or more errors on 18% of the patient records reviewed in the study. He suggested that patients above age 65 should be asked a second time to confirm details of medications being taken around a day after admission to the hospital. Beers recommended that all people should carry a current list showing the name, dosage and frequency of all medications being taken.
Merck Manuals
Beers was named as associate editor of Merck Manual of Diagnosis and TherapyMerck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy
The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, often called simply The Merck Manual, is the world's best-selling medical textbook. First published in 1899, it is now in its 19th edition.-Professional Edition:...
, a reference book for medical professionals published by Merck & Co.
Merck & Co.
Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
, and co-edited The Merck Manual of Geriatrics. He edited the 2003 edition of the Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition, which was designed for use by laypeople. In a review in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Jane Brody
Jane Brody
Jane Ellen Brody is an American author on science and nutrition topics, who has written a number of books and reported extensively for The New York Times as its "Personal Health" columnist, which appears weekly in the paper's Science Times section, which has been syndicated nationwide...
said the book "could well be the most useful of all" of the plethora of medical guides aimed at the general public.
He stepped down as editor in chief of The Merck Manuals
The Merck Manuals
The Merck Manuals are medical reference books produced by pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. that cover a wide range of medical topics, including disorders, tests, diagnoses, and drugs...
in 2006 due to disability.
Personal life
Beers was diagnosed with diabetes as a child. Both of his legs were amputated in the 1990s, after which served as a volunteer counselor for amputees at Philadelphia's Magee Rehabilitation Hospital.Beers had lived in Miami Beach and Fire Island, New York
Fire Island, New York
Fire Island is one of the outer barrier islands adjacent to the south shore of Long Island, New York. It is approximately long and varies between broad. Fire Island is part of Suffolk County. It comprises a number of hamlets, census-designated places , and villages, all of which lie within the...
. He died at age 54 on February 28, 2009, in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, due to complications of diabetes and was survived by his husband, Stephen K. Urice, as well as by his mother and a sister.