Polypharmacy in the Elderly

Paper Summary:

The paper defines polypharmacy as the use of five or more drugs among older populations who are at least 65 years old and are not committed to an institution. The paper explains that elderly patients may be taking drugs that are far more than what they need and this has many adverse effects, including dangerous drug reactions, expensive healthcare costs, and the waning of adherence to a treatment regimen. The paper offers suggestions for how to reduce this practice.

From the Paper:

"The changing demographic profile has resulted to a disproportion between the number of younger adults and the older population. It is now possible to live beyond the expected number of years because of the improvement of medications, knowledge on how to observe healthy lifestyles, and the development of advanced technology in the field of medicine. In other words, the population is getting older. In the United States, there are approximately 35 million Americans who are over 65 years old (Fulton and Allen, 2005). By 2030, the expected population is expected to be 70 million."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Barros, S. A. M, Barros, J., Pompeu, M., and Oliveria, B. (2007). "Self-medication in the elderly of the city of Salgueiro, State of Pernambuco." Rev Bras Epidem., 10(1): 75-85.
• Fiavola, D., Topinkova, E., Gambassi, G., Finne-Soveri, H., et al. (2005). "Potentially inappropriate medication use among elderly home care patients in Europe." JAMA, 293(11): 1348-1358.
• Fick, D. M., Mion, L. C., Beers, M. H., and Waller, J. L. (2008). "Health outcomes associated with potentially inappropriate use in older adults." Research in Nursing and Health, 31: 42-51.
• Fulton, M. M. and Allen, E. R. (2005). "Polypharmacy in the elderly: a literature review." Journal of American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 17(4): 123-132.
• Gorard, D. A. (2006). "Escalating pharmacy." QJMed, 99: 797-800.

More papers on Polypharmacy in the Elderly:

• Essay # 87318 : "Depression in The Elderly"
• Term Paper # 140626 : "Prevention of Falls in the Elderly"
• Analytical Essay # 145707 : "Dysphagia in the Elderly"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: