RELATED TOPIC:
Nursing Knowledge
Polypharmacy refers to the use of multiple medications by a single individual. Sometimes, this can mean the client is using even more medications than clinically indicated.
Polypharmacy becomes especially relevant in geriatric clients due to the multiple comorbidities from diagnoses. The need for multiple medications increases the risk of drug–drug interactions, which is why the complete list of medications taken by older clients needs to be closely monitored. Age-related physiologic changes also affect drug pharmacokinetics, increasing or decreasing the intensity of the many drugs’ effects in older adults, making the medication management in older adults more complex.
Adults aged 65 and over are counted as geriatric and are at increased risk of adverse effects of medications.
Factors that lead to increased drug concentration, duration, or intensity in older adults include:
Factors that lead to reduced drug concentration, duration, or intensity in older adults include:
The BEERS criteria are a tool to assist health care providers in assessing
to improve medication safety for older adults. Using this template helps identify potentially inappropriate drugs, potential drug–drug interactions, and renal dosing adjustments.
RELATED TOPIC:
Free Download
Master the topic with a unique study combination of a concise summary paired with video lectures.
USMLE™ is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB®) and National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME®). MCAT is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). NCLEX®, NCLEX-RN®, and NCLEX-PN® are registered trademarks of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc (NCSBN®). None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Lecturio.
Your free account gives you access to:
or
