Polypharmacy

Abstract

Polypharmacy is common among older adults, largely due to the need to treat the increasing number of diseases that present as a person ages. However, multiple medication use can lead to serious consequences such as adverse drug events and also contribute to geriatric syndromes. A number of strategies have been evaluated in an effort to improve polypharmacy. While such strategies consistently demonstrate significant reductions in inappropriate medication prescribing, their impact on clinical outcomes is equivocal. More research is needed to identify the most effective interventions to optimize medication use in the older population.