It is typical among older persons and at-risk populations to have polypharmacy, which is defined as the regular use of at least five drugs on a regular basis. Polypharmacy raises the risk of unfavorable medical outcomes in these populations. The development of polypharmacy can be triggered by a number of risk factors.

What does polypharmacy mean in older adults?

Multimorbidity, as well as the use of various medications in conjunction with it (polypharmacy), is frequent in the elderly population. Despite this, there is no widely accepted definition of polypharmacy in the medical community. A systematic study was carried out in order to find and summarize polypharmacy definitions that were already available in the literature.

What is the definition of polypharmacy?

Polypharmacy, according to this definition, refers to the use of drugs that are not prescribed, are ineffective, or cause therapeutic duplication. However, despite the fact that this definition is more therapeutically relevant, it still requires a clinical assessment of pharmaceutical regimens.

How many medicines is considered polypharmacy?

Conclusions While the most generally used definition of polypharmacy is being on five or more medications, definitions vary, which can cause confusion for both researchers and physicians in the field of practice.

How does polypharmacy affect the older adults?

Prescription of three or more of these types of medicines in older persons, a practice known as central nervous system (CNS)-active polypharmacy, may raise the risk of falls, overdoses, memory issues, and mortality, among other things.

Why is polypharmacy common in the elderly?

In older people, polypharmacy is widespread because of the necessity to address the many disease states that arise as a result of the aging process. Despite the fact that deprescribing unneeded drugs is an useful method of reducing polypharmacy, the underprescribing of beneficial therapy in older patients is a cause for worry.

What is polypharmacy and how does it happen?

Definition. Polypharmacy is the term used to describe the use of many medications by a single patient to treat one or more illnesses at the same time. It is more frequent in patients over the age of 65, who are considered to be geriatric. An estimated 100,000 fatalities occur each year as a result of this disease.

What is polypharmacy and why is it important?

Polypharmacy is described as the use of more drugs than are regarded medically essential in a given situation. Individuals are frequently offered medication for a condition and then continue to take it for an extended period of time after the initial problem has been addressed. Polypharmacy becomes increasingly vital as individuals get older and become more weak.

What is meant by the term polypharmacy?

Numerous medications, also known as polypharmacy, are widely used to treat multiple conditions in the elderly population who suffer from multimorbidity. One or more medications may be used to treat each illness.

How can an elderly prevent polypharmacy?

Avoiding Polypharmacy Issues in Older Adults: Some Prevention Strategies

1. Work closely with patients and their families to ensure that a complete list of prescriptions is obtained.
2. Reorganize the medication list in a patient’s electronic health record.
3. Look for medications that are not suitable or wrong.
4. When deprescribing drugs, proceed with caution.

How many people are affected by polypharmacy?

It has the potential to be harmful since it has the ability to induce major adverse outcomes. Previous research have revealed that polypharmacy affects between 40 percent and 50 percent of all older persons on average, depending on the study.

Why does polypharmacy increase risk?

When it comes to older people, polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk of adverse drug events. This is due to the increased risk of drug interactions, the inability to adhere to medication regimens, the increased susceptibility of older people to side effects, and physical changes associated with ageing that make it difficult to take medications as prescribed.

What is an example of polypharmacy?

The following is an example of a polypharmacy definition that recognizes the use of both appropriate and inappropriate medications: ″polypharmacy encompasses a wide range of behaviors ranging from the use of a large number of medications to the use of potentially inappropriate medications, medication underuse, and duplication.″

What is another name for polypharmacy?

What is a synonym for polypharmacy in another language?

Why is polypharmacy a problem in the elderly?

Individuals who are growing older, as well as those who are experiencing physiological and pathological changes, are at greater risk of developing multimorbidity and developing treatment-related problems.Polypharmacy, a prevalent and significant problem associated with medication usage that affects the elderly in all populations today, occurs as a result of this multimorbidity in all populations.

What is polypharmacy and how common is it?

Numerous medications, also known as polypharmacy, are widely used to treat multiple conditions in the elderly population who suffer from multimorbidity. One or more medications may be used to treat each illness.

What is polypharmacy in nursing home?

As defined by the American Medical Association, polypharmacy is defined as the use of more drugs than are medically necessary or the rise in the number of medications used. The use of many medications by elderly ambulatory care, hospital, and nursing home patients is frequent. When it comes to the elderly, polypharmacy raises the likelihood of a variety of undesirable health outcomes.

Should the term ‘appropriate polypharmacy’ be used to assess medication use?

The findings show that a change towards the phrase ‘appropriate polypharmacy’ is required, as is the adoption of a holistic approach to monitoring drug use in the context of comorbidities present, in order to optimize health outcomes, based on the best available research. Acknowledgements This is not relevant. Funding