Improving Patient Outcomes by Managing Polypharmacy

Patients may be diagnosed with multiple chronic conditions that require the use of multiple medications to maintain or improve patient outcomes. This is known as polypharmacy. However, there are situations where the therapeutic benefits of multiple medications are outweighed by the harm the medications may cause to the patient. Harm includes adverse events and poor health outcomes. Polypharmacy occurs when patients have co-occurring physical and mental health conditions (e.g., diabetes and schizophrenia) or when a patient is frail and suffers from chronic pain. Three classes of drugs reported to contribute to 60% of emergency room visits for adverse drug reactions include blood thinners, opioids, and medications for patients with diabetes. Strategies to reduce possible harmful effects of polypharmacy include rigorous patient-centered medication reviews and raising patient awareness about the risks of polypharmacy. Monitoring systems can also be used to capture polypharmacy data. Exploratory research and a multidisciplinary healthcare team approach are two methods to reduce the devastating effects of polypharmacy on the quality of life of patients.