ECRI, a nonprofit organization focused on improving safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of care across healthcare settings, has published a white paper on reducing polypharmacy through deprescribing. It’s a strategy that can improve quality of life for many older adults, and might even save lives.

Polypharmacy typically involves the regular consumption of five or more drugs, which can lead to drug interactions, increased side effects, medication non-adherence, and cognitive impairment. Older adults are especially vulnerable to polypharmacy due to high rates of multiple chronic conditions that require treatment with multiple medications.

While there may be legitimate reasons for polypharmacy based on a patient's medical status, it is essential to carefully assess whether the prescribed medications are appropriate and not excessive or inadequate. In addition, older adults access care across multiple healthcare settings, which increases the number of providers prescribing medications for any given patient and thus increases the risk of communication and coordination breakdowns.

Side effects can contribute to inappropriate polypharmacy through what is known as prescribing cascades, which occur when an adverse event is misinterpreted as a new medical condition and results in new potentially inappropriate medications to treat the “new condition” rather than the discontinuation of offending medications.

The white paper outlines an approach to deprescribing as a risk-reduction strategy, and includes relevant resources and a case study.

To download the white paper, click here and fill out the form