Key result
Polypharmacy in the geriatric population is associated with an increased risk of drug interactions, and current preventive efforts have not been widely adopted.
This review highlights the ongoing challenge of polypharmacy in geriatrics and the need for wider adoption of evidence-based interventions like deprescription and medication reconciliation.
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Supports routine polypharmacy review in geriatric patients; leaves open scalable strategies to improve preventive intervention adoption.
The effects of polypharmacy on geriatric populations are an emerging concern that merits more exploration. The primary goal of this review was to evaluate the current body of knowledge on polypharmacy and explore the preventive and corrective measures to avoid negative outcomes. Even if a medication has an appropriate indication, polypharmacy in the geriatric population is associated with an increased risk of drug-drug or drug-condition interactions. Recent efforts to prevent polypharmacy include the development of interprofessional teams in clinics dedicated to medication review and reconciliation, deprescription plans aimed to safely discontinue potentially inappropriate medications, and inpatient screening tools that provide prescribing recommendations. In conclusion, polypharmacy affects a high percentage of the geriatric population. Current efforts to address and prevent polypharmacy are ongoing but have not been widely adopted.
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Hughes et al. (2022) conducted a review in Polypharmacy. Polypharmacy was evaluated. Polypharmacy in the geriatric population is associated with an increased risk of drug interactions, and current preventive efforts have not been widely adopted.
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