Week 2 - Polypharmacy Discussion - Primary Care of the Maturing & Aged Family Practicum (NR601)

Polypharmacy is a common concern, especially in the elderly.  List the definitions of polypharmacy you encounter in your assigned reading. Include an additional reference from an evidence based practice journal article or national guideline.  Discuss three risk factors that can lead to polypharmacy. Explain the rationale for why each listed item is a risk factor. Risk factors are different than adverse drug reactions. ADRs can be a result of polypharmacy, and is important, but ADRs are not a risk factor.  Discuss three action steps that a provider can take to prevent polypharmacy.  Provide an example of how your clinical preceptors have addressed polypharmacy.Studies have shown that elderly people with chronic diseases have more tendency toward polypharmacy because patients may visit different doctors and take many prescriptions, the use of medication for symptoms rather than diagnosis, taking non-prescription drug sales without awareness of the physicians, and the tendency of elderly patients to use medicines taken from family members or friends (Önal and Durukan, 2018). Polypharmacy is more common in older people who have multiple health problems and are cared for by different doctors. These doctors might not talk about the patient together and may not know all the medicines a person is taking. This means that, over time, older people with multiple health problems can end up with a long list of drugs recommended by different doctors. Visiting numerous doctors is another factor that contributes to polypharmacy.Week 2 - Polypharmacy Discussion