Tools in polypharmacy. Current evidence from observational and controlled studies.

ABSTRACT

Increasing evidence in managing polypharmacy in the growing elderly population with a higher prevalence of multiple chronic disease is the basis for this paper. Poor adherence, drug-drug interactions, drug-disease interactions, and inappropriate medication challenge the prescriptions of health care providers in this group of patients. Risk factors, the prevalence of polypharmacy, and the impact on health issues will be shown by analyzing the recent literature. Based on intervention trials, several tools in polypharmacy have emerged as practical guides for clinical practice or for the geriatric ward to solve this problem. The Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) and national lists of potentially inappropriate medication used in clinical practice are presented, including Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to the Right Treatment (START), Screening Tool of Older Persons' Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP), and Assess, Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, Adherence, Development, Emergence, Minimization, Interdisciplinarity, Alertness (ACADEMIA).