Polypharmacy and the Elderly

Around 90% of over-65’s take prescribed medication (often several), and, for at least some of these patients, the combination remains appropriate, year in, year out. However, this cannot be assumed, and, as a result, ‘deprescribing’ (the reduction or cessation of inappropriate medication) may need to be implemented by a healthcare professional after a medication review.

To date, however, there’s been very little research into the opinions of older patients themselves (and their informal caregivers) towards deprescribing, and prescription medication more broadly. That was until a team from Oxford University, led by DPhil researcher Rebecca Garnett, set up a series of studies to obtain feedback from this age-group specifically. The first of these, a ‘survey of attitudes’, was promoted among u3a members early last year, and many of us were more than happy to take part (see link: Oxford University ‘attitudes to deprescribing’ project).

Now, a year on, we’re delighted to welcome Rebecca herself to this special meeting, to bring us up-to-date on the progress of her studies – the methodology, how the data was collected, and an overview of the results so far. She’ll also be inviting members to take part in her final survey project, focussing exclusively on blood pressure medication, if that’s applicable to you (see link: Oxford University ‘blood pressure medication’ survey).

To view the recording, click here… ‘Polypharmacy in the Elderly’

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