STOPP/START criteria for potentially inappropriate medications/potential prescribing omissions in older people: origin and progress.

STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment) are criteria used as a tool for clinicians to review potentially inappropriate medications in older adults and have been endorsed as a best practice by some organizations.  This article, written by the developer of STOPP/START, describes its history and updates, and current large-scale trials involving the use of specialty software that automates the process as a potential patient safety improvement.