The EJGP Collection on Polypharmacy
Polypharmacy is a phenomenon inseparably connected to multimorbidity and increases with rising age. Polypharmacy increases physicians' risk of inappropriate prescribing (over treatment, under treatment). Physicians and patients may be unaware of the risk of taking yet another drug or not taking a specific medication. The higher the number of prescriptions or the more complex a medication regime, the higher the lack of medication adherence in patients. Multiple or inappropriate medication use increase the risk of adverse drug reactions in patients, sometimes leading to hospital admissions that could have been avoided. Polypharmacy is associated with various challenges for the physician, e.g. awareness of over-the-counter medication taken by the patient, appropriate medical record-keeping, availability of current patient data for all relevant health care providers, adequate inter-professional communication, e.g. between general practitioner (family physician), specialists and pharmacist. Think of referral letters and discharge letters, information about indication and duration of medication, working agreements on repeating prescriptions, etcetera. Whether or not supported by intelligent medication software, regular medication reviews are seen as one way to tackle the polypharmacy problem. However, how should busy general practitioners (family physicians) do that?
In short, there are plenty of topics for scientific research in primary care on the theme of 'multiple drug use'. Since 2000 (Volume 6), the European Journal of General Practice has published various articles on topics like polypharmacy, (in)appropriate prescribing, drug interactions, and home medication. We have bundled them in this Collection. It is regularly updated with new publications addressing the many challenges associated with multiple drug use in primary care.
Note: You can find articles about 'multimorbidity' in another collection.
Edited by
Jelle Stoffers MD PhD