BACKGROUND: It has been well established that many classes of medications on the Beers list of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) are associated with falls and injuries in the geriatric population, but little work has been done to understand if similar relationships exist among the non-geriatric adult population.
METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 32 months of trauma encounters at our level 1 trauma center was performed in non-geriatric adults ages 18-64. Encounters were reviewed by mechanism of injury and intake medication reconciliation. The data was then evaluated for associations between PIMs and falls.
RESULTS: Of the 7897 trauma encounters in the study period 6493 had completed medication reconciliation and 4154 were between the ages of 18 and 64. There was a statistically significant disproportionate number of those who sustained a fall on psychoactive medications and proton pump inhibitors, and the odds of a trauma patient presenting as a fall were also significantly higher on these select classes of PIMs CONCLUSIONS: PIMs associated with falls in the geriatric population are also associated with falls in the non-geriatric population. This study supports the judicious prescribing of these medications, as they may have risks beyond what was originally thought. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, prognostic.