Exploring the Determinants of Polypharmacy Prescribing and Dispensing Behaviors in Primary Care for the Elderly-Qualitative Study.

Polypharmacy is particularly prevalent in the elderly. The interest in this issue is growing, and many interventions exist to improve the appropriate use of polypharmacy for older people. However, evidence of their effectiveness is still limited.

Exploring the Determinants of Polypharmacy Prescribing and Dispensing Behaviours in Primary Care for the Elderly-Protocol for a Qualitative Study.

Polypharmacy is becoming increasingly common, especially among the elderly. It often has a negative connotation, but is sometimes necessary or even desirable, and needed to categorize polypharmacy as appropriate or inappropriate. The challenge is in ensuring that this is considered appropriate when necessary.

Failure to Reach a Consensus in Polypharmacy Definition: An Obstacle to Measuring Risks and Impacts-Results of a Literature Review.

Introduction: The risk of polypharmacy is on the rise in most industrialized countries, threatening to burden their health systems. Although many definitions exist and numerous concepts are found in literature as synonyms, the phenomenon of polypharmacy remains poorly defined. The aim of this literature review is to provide an overview of available definitions of polypharmacy, to analyse their convergences and divergences and to discuss the consequences on the assessment of the problem.