As the global population ages, healthcare providers face an increasingly complex challenge: ensuring that older adults receive medications that help rather than harm. To address this need, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has designed Responsible Medication Prescribing for Older Adults, a five-module course that serves as an overview of the science, strategies, and systems that make prescribing safer for seniors. The goal of the course is to equip practitioners with the knowledge and tools to improve outcomes, reduce risks, and enhance the quality of life for older patients.

Module 01

Introduction

The introductory module is titled ‘Medication Management and Physiology of Ageing’, which starts the course off with the Geriatric 5Ms framework (Mind, Mobility, Medications, Multicomplexity, and Matters Most to Me), a holistic approach that anchors all discussions of prescribing for older adults. Participants learn how ageing alters the body’s handling of medications, making concepts like pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics especially important. Accurate calculation of renal function is emphasised, as is the widely practised mantra ‘Start Low and Go Slow.’ The module also highlights the complexities of prescribing for patients living with frailty, dementia, or multiple chronic conditions.

Duration: 49 minutes

Videos: 2

Readings: 4

Assignments: 1

Module 02

Key Concepts

The second module is titled ‘Key Concepts in Prescribing for Older Adults’. This module lays out the fundamental challenges clinicians face, including polypharmacy, adverse drug events (ADEs), prescribing cascades, and medication nonadherence. Through examples of drug-drug, drug-disease, and drug-herbal interactions, participants see how these issues increase risks of morbidity and mortality. The content underscores why safe prescribing practices are not just technical details but essential to patient survival and well-being.

Duration: 47 minutes

Videos: 2

Readings: 0

Assignments: 1

Module 03

Tools and Strategies

The third module is titled ‘Tools and Strategies to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing’. From knowledge to action, this module introduces practical tools clinicians can use in daily practice. Smartphone applications, physical adherence aids, and guidelines like the AGS Beers Criteria are presented as resources for safer prescribing. Learners are also introduced to the Hierarchy of Medication Evaluation, a systematic framework for reviewing medications before prescribing. Patient case examples make these strategies come alive, reinforcing principles of rational prescribing and deprescribing.

Duration: 56 minutes

Videos: 1

Readings: 0

Assignments: 1

Module 04

Interdisciplinary Teams and Interventions

The fourth module is titled ‘Role of Interdisciplinary Teams and Systems-Based Interventions in Improving Safe Prescribing During Care Transitions’. Older adults often navigate complex care transitions between hospitals, clinics, and home settings, making them particularly vulnerable to medication errors. This module highlights the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork and effective communication in ensuring safe transitions. It introduces system-level interventions and practical tools that can minimise risks, showing how collective effort across healthcare teams directly improves prescribing safety for older patients.

Duration: 52 minutes

Videos: 1

Readings: 0

Assignments: 1

Module 05

Integrating Geriatric Prescribing Principles

The fifth and final module is titled ‘Integrating Geriatric Prescribing Principles Using Evidence-Based Frameworks’. This module brings the entire course together. Using case-based scenarios, participants apply the Geriatric 5Ms framework alongside recommendations from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the American Society of Clinical Pharmacists (ASCP) Choosing Wisely initiative. By weaving these principles into real-world clinical decisions, learners strengthen their ability to balance efficacy and safety, ensuring medications are prescribed responsibly for one of the most vulnerable populations.

Duration: 50 minutes

Videos: 1

Readings: 0

Assignments: 1

Course Overview

Platform : Coursera

Difficulty : Intermediate

Flexibility : Self-Paced

Rating : 4.8/5