journal article Open Access Oct 10, 2017

What is polypharmacy? A systematic review of definitions

View at Publisher Save 10.1186/s12877-017-0621-2
Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References
127
[1]
Salive ME. Multimorbidity in older adults. Epidemiol Rev. 2013:1–9. 10.1093/epirev/mxs009
[2]
Roughead EE, Vitry AI, Caughey GE, Gilbert AL. Multimorbidity, care complexity and prescribing for the elderly. Aging Health. 2011;7(5):695–705. 10.2217/ahe.11.64
[3]
Caughey GE, Ramsay EN, Vitry AI, Gilbert AL, Luszcz MA, Ryan P, et al. Comorbid chronic diseases, discordant impact on mortality in older people: a 14-year longitudinal population study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2010;64(12):1036–42. 10.1136/jech.2009.088260
[4]
Marengoni A, Angleman S, Melis R, Mangialasche F, Karp A, Garmen A, et al. Aging with multimorbidity: a systematic review of the literature. Ageing Res Rev. 2011;10(4):430–9. 10.1016/j.arr.2011.03.003
[5]
World Health Organization. Global age-friendly cities project. 2016.
[6]
Milton JC, Hill-Smith I, Jackson SHD. Prescribing for older people. BMJ. 2008;336(7644):606–9. 10.1136/bmj.39503.424653.80
[7]
Caughey GE, Roughead EE, Pratt N, Shakib S, Vitry AI, Gilbert AL. Increased risk of hip fracture in the elderly associated with prochlorperazine: is a prescribing cascade contributing? Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2010;19(9):977–82. 10.1002/pds.2009
[8]
Caughey GE, Roughead EE, Vitry AI, McDermott RA, Shakib S, Gilbert AL. Comorbidity in the elderly with diabetes: identification of areas of potential treatment conflicts. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010;87(3):385–93. 10.1016/j.diabres.2009.10.019
[9]
Maher RL, Hanlon J, Hajjar ER. Clinical consequences of polypharmacy in elderly. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2014;13(1):57–65. 10.1517/14740338.2013.827660
[10]
Bushardt RL, Massey EB, Simpson TW, Ariail JC, Simpson KN. Polypharmacy: misleading, but manageable. Clin Interv Aging. 2008;3(2):383–9. 10.2147/cia.s2468
[11]
Viktil KK, Blix HS, Moger TA, Reikvam A. Polypharmacy as commonly defined is an indicator of limited value in the assessment of drug-related problems. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2007;63(2):187–95. 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2006.02744.x
[12]
Zarowitz BJ, Stebelsky LA, Muma BK, Romain TM, Peterson EL. Reduction of high-risk Polypharmacy drug combinations in patients in a managed care setting. Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy. 2005;25(11):1636–45. 10.1592/phco.2005.25.11.1636
[13]
Veehof LJG, Meyboom-De Jong B, Haaijer-Ruskamp FM. Polypharmacy in the elderly - a literature review. Eur J Gen Pract. 2000;6(3):98–106. 10.3109/13814780009069956
[14]
Zia A, Kamaruzzaman SB, Tan MP. Polypharmacy and falls in older people: balancing evidence-based medicine against falls risk. Postgrad Med. 2015;127(3):330–7. 10.1080/00325481.2014.996112
[15]
Alic A, Pranjic N, Ramic E. Polypharmacy and decreased cognitive abilities in elderly patients. Med Arh. 2011;65(2):102–5.
[16]
Frazier SC. Health outcomes and polypharmacy in elderly individuals: an integrated literature review. J Gerontol Nurs. 2005;31(9):4–11. 10.3928/0098-9134-20050901-04
[17]
Garcia J, Vaz M, Poggi M. Estimated prevalence of contraindicated, severe and moderate interactions in ambulatory patients with polypharmacy in a healthcare provider in Uruguay. Clin Ther. 2015;1:145. 10.1016/j.clinthera.2015.05.416
[18]
Patton D, Hughes C, Cadogan CA, Francis J, Gormley GJ, Kerse N, et al. Using the theoretical domains framework (TDF) to explore barriers and facilitators to adherence to prescribed medicines in community-based older adults. Int J Pharm Pract. 2015;23:11–2.
[19]
Trumic E, Pranjic N, Begic L, Becic F, Asceric M. Idiosyncratic adverse reactions of most frequent drug combinations longterm use among hospitalized patients with polypharmacy. Med Arh. 2012;66(4):243–8. 10.5455/medarh.2012.66.243-248
[20]
Ziere G, Dieleman JP, Hofman A, Pols HAP, Van Der Cammen TJM, Stricker BHC. Polypharmacy and falls in the middle age and elderly population. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2006;61(2):218–23. 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2005.02543.x
[21]
Pasina L, Brucato AL, Falcone C, Cucchi E, Bresciani A, Sottocorno M, et al. Medication non-adherence among elderly patients newly discharged and receiving polypharmacy. Drugs Aging. 2014;31(4):283–9. 10.1007/s40266-014-0163-7
[22]
McMahon CG, Cahir CA, Kenny RA, Bennett K. Inappropriate prescribing in older fallers presenting to an Irish emergency department. Age Ageing. 2014;43(1):44–50. 10.1093/ageing/aft114
[23]
Bahat G, Tufan F, Bahat Z, Tufan A, Aydin Y, Akpinar TS, et al. Comorbidities, polypharmacy, functionality and nutritional status in Turkish community-dwelling female elderly. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2014;26(3):255–9. 10.1007/s40520-014-0229-8
[24]
Gnjidic D, Hilmer SN, Blyth FM, Naganathan V, Waite L, Seibel MJ, et al. Polypharmacy cutoff and outcomes: five or more medicines were used to identify community-dwelling older men at risk of different adverse outcomes. J Clin Epidemiol. 2012;65(9):989–95. 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2012.02.018
[25]
Prithviraj GK, Koroukian S, Margevicius S, Berger NA, Bagai R, Owusu C. Patient characteristics associated with polypharmacy and inappropriate prescribing of medications among older adults with cancer. J Geriatr Oncol. 2012;3(3):228–37. 10.1016/j.jgo.2012.02.005
[26]
Rasu RS, Iqbal M, Hanifi SMA, Moula A, Hoque S, Rasheed S, et al. Level, pattern, and determinants of polypharmacy and inappropriate use of medications by village doctors in a rural area of Bangladesh. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2014;6:515–21. 10.2147/ceor.s67424
[27]
Ahmed B, Nanji K, Mujeeb R, Patel MJ. Effects of polypharmacy on adverse drug reactions among geriatric outpatients at a tertiary care Hospital in Karachi: a prospective cohort study. PLoS One. 2014;9(11):1–7. 10.1371/journal.pone.0112133
[28]
Launay CP, De Decker L, Kabeshova A, Annweiler C, Beauchet O. Screening for older emergency department inpatients at risk of prolonged hospital stay: the brief geriatric assessment tool. PLoS One. 2014;9(10):1–10. 10.1371/journal.pone.0110135
[29]
Haider SI, Ansari Z, Vaughan L, Matters H, Emerson E. Prevalence and factors associated with polypharmacy in Victorian adults with intellectual disability. Res Dev Disabil. 2014;35(11):3071–80. 10.1016/j.ridd.2014.07.060
[30]
Diez-Manglano J, Gimenez-Lopez M, Garces-Horna V, Sevil-Puras M, Castellar-Otin E, Gonzalez-Garcia P, et al. Excessive polypharmacy and survival in polypathological patients. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2015;71(6):733–9. 10.1007/s00228-015-1837-8
[31]
Jiron M, Tapia M, Sandoval T, Palma D, Orellana S, Escobar L, et al. Potentially inappropriate medication among Chilean older inpatients: comparison between a 2012 beers criteria and STOPP. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2015;24:102–3.
[32]
Jiron M, Herrada L, Rojas A, Lueiza A, Vega E, Buckel E, et al. Prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication prescribing among older adults in emergency Department in Chile. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2015;24:102.
[33]
Fustinoni S, Renard D, Santos-Eggimann B, Seematter-Bagnoud L. Polypharmacy and associated factors among community-dwelling older persons in a Swiss canton. Clin Ther. 2015;37:39–40. 10.1016/j.clinthera.2015.05.119
[34]
Jodar-Sanchez F, Malet-Larrea A, Martin JJ, Garcia-Mochon L. Lopez del Amo MP, Martinez-Martinez F, et al. cost-utility analysis of a medication review with follow-up Service for Older Adults with Polypharmacy in community pharmacies in Spain: the conSIGUE program. PharmacoEconomics. 2015;33(6):599–610. 10.1007/s40273-015-0270-2
[35]
Yang M, Lu J, Hao Q, Luo L, Dong B. Does residing in urban or rural areas affect the incidence of polypharmacy among older adults in western China? Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2015;60(2):328–33. 10.1016/j.archger.2014.11.004
[36]
Nguyen OK, Makam AN, Halm E. Use of safety net clinics for primary care among insured individuals in the United States: NAMCS 2006-2010. J Gen Intern Med. 2015;30:295. 10.1007/s11606-014-2969-8
[37]
Jensen LD, Andersen O, Hallin M, Petersen J. Potentially inappropriate medication related to weakness in older acute medical patients. Int J Clin Pharm. 2014;36(3):570–80. 10.1007/s11096-014-9940-y
[38]
Mastromarino V, Casenghi M, Testa M, Gabriele E, Coluccia R, Rubattu S, et al. Polypharmacy in heart failure patients. Curr Heart Fail Rep. 2014;11(2):212–9. 10.1007/s11897-014-0186-8
[39]
Lau DT, Mercaldo ND, Shega JW, Rademaker A, Weintraub S. Functional decline associated with polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications in community-dwelling older adults with dementia. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2011;26(8):606–15. 10.1177/1533317511432734
[40]
Lai SW, Su LT, Lin CH, Tsai CH, Sung FC, Hsieh DP. Polypharmacy increases the risk of Parkinson's disease in older people in Taiwan: a population-based study. Psychogeriatrics. 2011;11(3):150–6. 10.1111/j.1479-8301.2011.00369.x
[41]
Richardson K, Ananou A, Lafortune L, Brayne C, Matthews FE. Variation over time in the association between polypharmacy and mortality in the older population. Drugs Aging. 2011;28(7):547–60. 10.2165/11592000-000000000-00000
[42]
Nobili A, Licata G, Salerno F, Pasina L, Tettamanti M, Franchi C, et al. Polypharmacy, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality among elderly patients in internal medicine wards. The REPOSI study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2011;67(5):507–19. 10.1007/s00228-010-0977-0
[43]
Ariza G, Blanco E, Leon M, Gonzalez-Correa JA. Polipharmacy in primary care. Eur Geriatr Med. 2011;2:172. 10.1016/j.eurger.2011.04.004
[44]
Cronin H, O'Regan C, Savva G, Richardson K, Donoghue O, Kenny RA. Polypharmacy and falls in older Irish adults. Ir J Med Sci. 2011;180:S355. 10.1007/s11845-011-0689-1
[45]
Nomura K, Mendelsohn AB, Kusama M, Igarashi A, Akazawa M. Drug use patterns and predictors of polypharmacy among elderly, community-residing persons in hiroshima. Japan Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2011;20:301–2.
[46]
Blanco-Reina E, Ariza-Zafra G, Gonzalez-Correa JA, Leon-Ortiz M. Polypharmacy and pattern of medication use among the elderly. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2011;109:67. 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2011.00774.x
[47]
Heuberger R. Polypharmacy and food-drug interactions among older persons: a review. J Nutr Gerontol Geriatr. 2012;31(4):325–403. 10.1080/21551197.2012.729902
[48]
Slabaugh SL, Maio V, Templin M, Abouzaid S. Prevalence and risk of polypharmacy among the elderly in an outpatient setting: a retrospective cohort study in the Emilia-Romagna region. Italy. Drugs Aging. 2010;27(12):1019–28. 10.2165/11584990-000000000-00000
[49]
Slabaugh SL, Maio V, Abouzaid S, Templin M. Prevalence and predictors of polypharmacy amongst elderly patients: a population-based cohort study. Value Health. 2010;13(3):181. 10.1016/s1098-3015(10)72883-7
[50]
Grimmsmann T, Himmel W. Polypharmacy in primary care practices: an analysis using a large health insurance database. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2009;18(12):1206–13. 10.1002/pds.1841

Showing 50 of 127 references

Cited By
2,424
Current Oncology Reports
Polypharmacy in pediatric oncologist practice

Yu. V. Dinikina, I. L. Nikitina · 2026

Russian Journal of Pediatric Hemato...
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepat...
Deprescribing in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Amy M. Linsky, Aneesa Motala · 2025

JAMA Network Open
International Journal of Medical In...
Characterization of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Elderly According to Age of Onset

Manuel Bracho González, Raúl Vicente Olmedo Martín · 2024

Journal of Clinical Medicine
BMJ
Metrics
2,424
Citations
127
References
Details
Published
Oct 10, 2017
Vol/Issue
17(1)
Funding
Australian Government Funded Research Training Program Scholarship at the University of South Australia Award: Not applicable
Cite This Article
Nashwa Masnoon, Sepehr Shakib, Lisa Kalisch-Ellett, et al. (2017). What is polypharmacy? A systematic review of definitions. BMC Geriatrics, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-017-0621-2
Related

You May Also Like

A standard procedure for creating a frailty index

Samuel D Searle, Arnold Mitnitski · 2008

2,912 citations

A scoping review of the Clinical Frailty Scale

Sophie Church, Emily Rogers · 2020

693 citations