Citation

Alpert PT, Gatlin T. Home Healthc. Now 2015; 33(10): 524-529.

Affiliation

Patricia T. Alpert, DrPH, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, FAANP, is the founding Dean at Arizona College, Las Vegas Campus, Las Vegas, Nevada. Tricia Gatlin, PhD, RN, is an Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/NHH.0000000000000299

PMID

26529442

Abstract

Polypharmacy, by definition, is the concurrent use of several different medications consumed by a person. Often these multiple medications are in the same class and are used to treat more than one chronic condition. Older individuals are often faced with issues of polypharmacy due to multiple chronic conditions and multiple providers. The risks associated with polypharmacy can lead to increased adverse effects, falls, and decreased risk of medication compliance. This paper will discuss the issues surrounding polypharmacy and provide a case example to illustrate the significance of this problem.

Language: en