What question did this study set out to answer?

To estimate the pooled prevalence of polypharmacy and determine the factors associated with its variation across adult populations.

July 19, 2022SHILAP Revista de lepidopterologíaOpen Access

Prevalence and factors associated with polypharmacy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Why the study?

Polypharmacy is commonly associated with adverse health outcomes, but there were no meta-analyses assessing its prevalence or associated factors.

What is the pooled prevalence of polypharmacy among adults over age 19?

Population

Individuals over age 19 across 106 observational studies

Design

Systematic review and random effects meta-analysis

Authors

MDMahin DelaraRoyal Columbian Hospital LMLauren MurrayQueen's University BJBehnaz JafariUniversity of Calgary

Discussion

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Implication

Supports heightened vigilance for polypharmacy in routine care; extends global prevalence estimates and informs deprescribing trials.

Key Points

To estimate the pooled prevalence of polypharmacy and determine the factors associated with its variation across adult populations.
Searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases with no date restrictions for observational studies on polypharmacy prevalence in adults aged 20 and older.
Extracted study characteristics and evaluated risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale across 106 identified full-text articles.
Calculated pooled prevalence estimates using random-effects meta-analysis and explored heterogeneity via subgroup analyses and meta-regression across study years, settings, and definitions.
The pooled prevalence of polypharmacy across 54 studies assessing all medication classes was 37% (95% CI: 31–43%).
Significant differences in polypharmacy prevalence were associated with the numerical threshold definition used, the study setting, and publication year.
Participant sex, study design, and geographical location were not significantly associated with differences in polypharmacy prevalence.

Structured PICO

What is the pooled prevalence of polypharmacy among adults over age 19?

Population

Individuals over age 19 from 106 observational studies (54 studies reporting on polypharmacy in all medication classes)

Outcome

Prevalence of polypharmacy and factors associated with polypharmacy prevalence

Polypharmacy is highly prevalent, affecting an estimated 37% of adults, highlighting the need for clinicians to review medication appropriateness to minimize adverse effects.

Cite This Study

Delara et al. (2022) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69dd2a2e2f737f012599b361 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-03279-x

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Prevalence and factors associated with polypharmacy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Structured PICO

Cite This Study

Prevalence and factors associated with polypharmacy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Structured PICO

Cite This Study

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