Polypharmacy is most frequently characterized as the use of multiple treatment sources, usually five or more prescriptions daily. Polypharmacy has been linked to greater adverse medication responses, drug reactions, the prescription cascade, and increased costs (Wastesson et al., 2018). Polypharmacy is generally related to worse life quality, including movement and cognition issues. Considering the formation of a policy to reduce the practice of multiple drug prescriptions, I suggest implementing Information and Communication Technologies, including databases and support systems. In my opinion, by utilizing database applications, it becomes possible to analyze statistical data and monitor the number of prescriptions. In this case, specialists will be able to connect with individual doctors and, considering the recommendations of each of them, create a group of necessary drugs, excluding unnecessary ones. The main aspect is maintaining the technical condition of these programs and regular verification by experts in order to ensure information transparency and the velocity of processes.
What concerns the specific tools that might be included in the design phase of the policy process to increase the probability of success, the use of decision support system software can be proposed. To save time, I propose to elaborate a digital solution that automatically analyzes medication checklists while also giving the necessary screening tool for client prescription warnings and facilitating predefined reporting (García-Caballero et al., 2018). Decision support systems represent a set of software applications designed to monitor and evaluate substantial amounts of data to create structured databases. These programs are ubiquitous, which means the results and statistics figures can be viewed at any time and regardless of location by people who possess access.
To my mind, referring to the research from other countries that could help address this issue, it is possible to emphasize the evidence from Slovenia. The study represents a polypharmacy assessment in primary healthcare community settings, using a collaborative care method involving general practitioners and medical assistants (Stuhec et al., 2019). According to the researchers, the results of a retrospective cohort research indicate that implementing a collaborative care strategy is a smart option (Stuhec et al., 2019). In this case, the experience of the collaborative method will allow experts to assess all the risks and probable drawbacks in creating a concept and guidelines.
References
García-Caballero, T. M., Lojo, J., Menéndez, C., Fernández-Álvarez, R., Mateos, R., & Garcia-Caballero, A. (2018). Polimedication: Aplicability of a computer tool to reduce polypharmacy in nursing homes. International Pychogeriatrics, 30(7), 1001-1008. Web.
Stuhec, M., Gorenc, K., & Zelko, E. (2019). Evaluation of a collaborative care approach between general practitioners and clinical pharmacists in primary care community settings in elderly patients on polypharmacy in Slovenia: Acohort retrospective study reveals positive evidence for implementation. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 1-9. Web.
Wastesson, J. W., Morin, L., Tan, E. C., & Johnell, K. (2018). An update on the clinical consequences of polypharmacy in older adults: A narrative review. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 17(12), 1185-1196. Web.