Polypharmacy Management in Older Adults
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Aging".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2023) | Viewed by 371
Special Issue Editor
2. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Ormoz Psychiatric Hospital, 2270 Ormoz, Slovenia
Interests: polypharmacy; psychopharmacology; clinical pharmacy & psychiatry
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
More than 50% of older adults are treated with polypharmacy (five or more medications simultaneously), which can also lead to medically unnecessary polypharmacy (i.e., irrational polypharmacy). Polypharmacy use can lead to treatment failures, higher costs and more drug-related problems. Due to frequent comorbidities and treatments in the elderly, polypharmacy is the rule rather than the exception and can lead to harmful and inappropriate prescribing. Older adults with polypharmacy are also excluded from most randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and evidence-based treatment guidelines, although this population represents most older adult patients. This Special Issue contributes to a gap in the evidence-based, medicine-supported results useful for daily practice. These data are needed to improve medication use in real clinical settings for both patients and clinicians.
In this context, polypharmacy management is necessary to cope with polypharmacy reduction. Some available tools can help in clinical practice, including different medication lists (e.g., Beers criteria), medication protocols, prudent prescribing and deprescribing processes, and collaboration with clinical pharmacists. Recommendations for careful medication selection in this population are needed.
Papers describing these topics are welcome to be submitted to this Special Issue focused on polypharmacy. Any related topics (e.g., treatment adherence in older adults, potentially inappropriate medications and polypharmacy, medication-related problems and polypharmacy) are also welcome. Both clinical and basic pharmacological papers are within the scope of this Special Issue.
Dr. Matej Štuhec
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- polypharmacy
- older adults
- management
- geriatric pharmacology
- treatment adherence
- polypharmacy reduction
- irrational polypharmacy
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