Why is polypharmacy common in the elderly?
Why is polypharmacy common in the elderly?
Polypharmacy is an area of concern for elderly because of several reasons. Elderly people are at a greater risk for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) because of the metabolic changes and reduced drug clearance associated with ageing; this risk is furthermore exacerbated by increasing the number of drugs used.
What percentage of geriatric patients are affected by polypharmacy?
It is potentially problematic because it can lead to serious adverse events. Previous studies have shown that, on average, polypharmacy affects between 40% and 50% of all older adults.
What are the effects of polypharmacy in elderly patients?
Polypharmacy can worsen frailty, a term which refers to the collection of health problems an older adult may face. This includes delirium and cognitive impairment, falls and decreased functional ability. Drugs are a common risk factor for delirium.
What is geriatric polypharmacy?
Polypharmacy—the use of multiple drugs or more drugs than are medically necessary—causes adherence problems in older patients, particularly those not residing in nursing homes. For this reason, there is an urgent need to address this growing issue in the elderly population.
What are the three risk factors of polypharmacy in elderly?
Frailty, multimorbidity, obesity, and decreased physical as well as mental health status are risk factors for excessive polypharmacy.
Who is most at risk for polypharmacy?
Polypharmacy is more common among older adults, many of whom have multiple chronic conditions (MCC), defined as two or more chronic conditions such as arthritis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, depression, diabetes, and hypertension.
What are the four types of polypharmacy?
Table 1
| Term | Numerical only | Total number of definitions |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate polypharmacy | 1 | 1 |
| Major polypharmacy | 11 | 12 |
| Hyperpolypharmacy | 1 | 2 |
| Excessive polypharmacy | 8 | 10 |
What are the three risks factors for polypharmacy?
What are risks of polypharmacy?
Polypharmacy is associated with increases in many adverse outcomes including adverse drug reactions, drug to drug interactions, drug to disease interactions, non‐adherence, falls, cognitive impairment, hospital admission and mortality [4, 12, 26].
What is an example of polypharmacy?
An example of a polypharmacy definition which recognised the use of appropriate and inappropriate medications is “polypharmacy ranges from the use of a large number of medications, to the use of potentially inappropriate medications, medication underuse and duplication” and “potentially inappropriate medications” [114] …
What are the impacts of polypharmacy?
Inappropriate polypharmacy — the use of excessive or unnecessary medications — increases the risk of adverse drug effects, including falls and cognitive impairment, harmful drug interactions, and drug-disease interactions, in which a medication prescribed to treat one condition worsens another or causes a new one.
How can an elderly prevent polypharmacy?
Tips for Avoiding Polypharmacy Issues in Older Adults
- Work diligently with patients and families to secure an accurate list of medications.
- Reorganize the medication list in a patient’s EHR.
- Look for inappropriate and incorrect prescriptions.
- Use caution when deprescribing medications.
What are the two types of polypharmacy?
What qualifies polypharmacy?
Polypharmacy refers to the use of multiple medications in a patient, commonly an older adult. While the most commonly used definition of polypharmacy is being on five or more medicines, definitions are variable.
What are the risk factors for polypharmacy?
What are 5 methods to try and reduce polypharmacy?
How Physicians Can Prevent or Better Manage Polypharmacy
- Be militant about medication reconciliation.
- Ask patients if they are being treated by other physicians and providers.
- Verify that there is an actual indication for every medication being taken.
- Assess deprescribing opportunities at every visit or care transition.
What are the strategies in managing polypharmacy?
Conducting medication reconciliations at care transition, eliminating duplicate medications, assessing for drug-drug interactions, and reviewing dosages can reduce the incidence of polypharmacy, ensure patient safety, reduce hospitalizations, and decrease associated costs.
How many medications is considered polypharmacy?
Polypharmacy, defined as regular use of at least five medications, is common in older adults and younger at-risk populations and increases the risk of adverse medical outcomes.
How can you reduce the risk of polypharmacy in the elderly?
What is a solution to polypharmacy?
What is considered polypharmacy?
What Is Polypharmacy? Polypharmacy is the term used to describe people who are prescribed and take multiple medications. This includes both prescription and over-the-counter medicines and supplements, such as Tylenol and fish oil. You might take more than one medication and worry that you are suffering from polypharmacy.
How many medications is polypharmacy?
Taking at least five medications regularly is typically considered polypharmacy. This may sound negative, but polypharmacy is only bad if the medications serve no purpose, or cause more harm than good. For example, the term “ appropriate polypharmacy ” means that: Each of your medications serves a purpose and you agree to take them as prescribed
How to manage polypharmacy?
Identify potentially inappropriate medications.
How to address polypharmacy?
– New symptoms due to ADE – Presence of terminal illness, dementia, or extreme frail with complete dependence for all care – High-risk medications – Preventative medications with no clear-cut benefit
