Patient Preference and Adherence (Dec 2019)
Polypharmacy Among Home-Dwelling Older Adults: The Urgent Need for an Evidence-Based Medication Management Model
Abstract
Filipa Pereira,1,2 Armin von Gunten,3 Joëlle Rosselet Amoussou,4 Isabella De Giorgi Salamun,5 Maria Manuela Martins,2,6 Henk Verloo1,3 1School of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Sion, Switzerland; 2Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 3Service of Old Age Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; 4Psychiatry Library, Education and Research Department, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; 5Service of Pharmacy, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; 6Higher School of Nursing of Porto, Porto, PortugalCorrespondence: Filipa PereiraSchool of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Chemin de l’Agasse 5, Sion CH-1950, SwitzerlandTel +41 78 666 17 00Fax +41 27 606 84 00Email [email protected]: Ageing populations with multiple chronic conditions challenge low-, middle-, and high-income countries. Older adults frequently depend on complex medication regimens and polypharmacy, both of which can lead to potentially devastating and debilitating medication-related problems and to subsequent far-reaching public health, social, and economic effects. This perspectives article provides an overview of the current state of medication management, reflects on its relevance among polymedicated home-dwelling older adults living with multiple chronic conditions, and proposes patient-centered approaches for optimizing medication management and preventing medication-related problems.Keywords: multiple chronic conditions, medication-related problems, caregivers, interprofessional collaboration, patient-centered care
