Running Head: RISK ASSESSMENTS 1

Polypharmacy

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Polypharmacy is the use of multiple medications, also termed polymedicine, although no

specific number of drugs has been identified in the literature (Planton & Edlund, 2014). The

meaning of polypharmacy has been expanded beyond the number of medications and now

includes the use of potentially inappropriate medications and drug interactions that can lead to

adverse drug reactions in the elderly people. Factors other than multiple medications that can

boost polypharmacy in the elderly patient include multiple pharmacies and prescribers,

medications taken with minimal clinical indications, and duplicate medications. Clearly

considering polypharmacy outside the context of multimorbidity will not progress the field

significantly nor will it inform clinical practice.

As Americans age, nurses will be faced with challenging issues related to the care of

elderly people. One critical issue that is unique to the elderly people is polypharmacy. Other

challenges in medication management pharmacotherapeutics and are age-related changes. The

nurses in oncology is in an important position to assess and manage the elderly people’s

pharmaceutical agents and maximize drug therapy (Cope, 2013). Older adults are frequently

prescribed multidrug therapy to treat a plethora of chronic illnesses. On average, people aged 75

years and older have 2 or more comorbidities. In the U.S, about 60 percent of older adults take 4

medications and 20 percent take 8 or more medications daily. Furthermore, elderly people

consume 40 to 50 percent of all over-the-counter medications.

Polypharmacy increases the risk of adverse drug reactions in the elderly people as a result

of medication errors, noncompliance, overmedication, or drug interactions, often leading to

increased morbidity (Cope, 2013). Therefore, having an understanding of strategies for managing

medication regimens in elderly people has become critical for nurses as a result of the aging
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population and multiple medications and prevalence of comorbidities. Effects of normal aging on

pharmacotherapeutics; knowledge of polypharmacy, and continuous assessment of medications

in the elderly people by the nurses will prevent adverse drug reactions and ensure optimal drug

therapy.
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References

Cope, D. G. (2013). Polypharmacy in older adults: the role of the advanced practitioner in

oncology. Journal of the advanced practitioner in oncology, 4(2), 107.

Planton, J., & Edlund, B. J. (2014). Strategies for reducing polypharmacy in older adults.

Journal of gerontological nursing, 36(1), 8-12.