Defining polypharmacy and its thresholds

When you think of a pharmacist, you probably think of someone giving you medication to take.

But for some, their whole job is to deprescribe – assess what drugs you’re on now, and which ones are no longer necessary.

Research shows that for a portion of older adults, deprescribing drugs can even extend their life.

Guest/s

• Deborah Hawthorne, consultant pharmacist in rural Victoria 

References

• Pharmacists call for medicine review program to be expanded - ABC News
• The effect of deprescribing interventions on mortality and health outcomes in older people: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis