Definition of Polypharmacy

DQ2 Response to Peer
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DQ2 Response to Peer
Hello Ashley! I support your argument that polypharmacy definition incorporates five or more drugs, the definitions increasingly vary, causing confusion among researchers and clinicians within practice. I reiterate the point of view that it is crucial to conduct medication reviews when prescribing multiple drugs. Nevertheless, polypharmacy definition needs to consider patient’s specific comorbidities since failure to do so makes it challenging to evaluate the appropriateness and safety of therapy within the clinical context (Masnoon et al., 2017). I support your argument that polypharmacy risk increases with age, mainly because older adults suffer from multiple illnesses that different healthcare professionals handle. Accordingly, risk factors for excessive polypharmacy include deteriorated physical wellness, obesity, and frailty. It is essential that physicians take into account the patient age, frailty, their current diagnoses, and the deteriorated wellness-related life quality, to carefully examine whether all the prescribed medications are safe, evidence-based, and do not have unfavorable interactions that could be detrimental to an individual’s health (Rieckert et al., 2018).
Regarding preventing polypharmacy, Ashely recommends medication education and effectiveness interview with the patient. In addition to As...