Polypharmacy
Original Editor - User Name
Top Contributors - Shwe Shwe U Marma, Lucinda hampton and Kim Jackson
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Polypharmacy refers to the use of multiple medications in a patient, commonly an older adult.[1] While the most commonly used definition of polypharmacy is being on five or more medicines, definitions are variable.[2]
Catagories[edit | edit source]
There is no universally agreed definition of polypharmacy, however it can be described in 3 groups-
- Excessive polypharmacy (EPP): concurrent use of ten or more different drugs.
- Polypharmacy (PP): the use of five to nine drugs.
- No polypharmacy: taking four or less drugs (included those taking no medicines)[3]
Prevalence[edit | edit source]
- Individuals greater than 65 years old are the biggest consumers of medications; however, evidence shows that greater than 50% of elderly patients are taking at least one medication that is not medically necessary. Nearly 40% of elderly adults take more than five prescription medications and almost 20% take more than 10.
- Polypharmacy declines in patients older than 85 years of age secondary to poor drug tolerance with age and increasing deprescribing practices as medical providers fear serious adverse drug reactions that may be more common in the very elderly.[4]
Associated Factors[edit | edit source]
Individual/Patient Factors | Physician Factors | Systems-Level Factors |
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Risks of Polypharmacy[edit | edit source]
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References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Nguyen T, Wong E, Ciummo F. Polypharmacy in Older Adults: Practical Applications Alongside a Patient Case. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. 2020 Mar 1;16(3):205-9.
- ↑ Masnoon N, Shakib S, Kalisch-Ellett L, Caughey GE. What is polypharmacy? A systematic review of definitions. BMC geriatrics. 2017 Dec 1;17(1):230.
- ↑ O'Dwyer M, Peklar J, McCallion P, McCarron M, Henman MC. Factors associated with polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy in older people with intellectual disability differ from the general population: a cross-sectional observational nationwide study. BMJ open. 2016 Apr 1;6(4).
- ↑ Valenza PL, McGinley TC, Feldman J, Patel P, Cornejo K, Liang N, Anmolsingh R, McNaughton N. Dangers of polypharmacy. InVignettes in Patient Safety-Volume 1 2017 Sep 13. IntechOpen.
- ↑ Valenza PL, McGinley TC, Feldman J, Patel P, Cornejo K, Liang N, Anmolsingh R, McNaughton N. Dangers of polypharmacy. InVignettes in Patient Safety-Volume 1 2017 Sep 13. IntechOpen.