Polypharmacy in Geriatric Care: Current Practices and Unmet Needs

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of polypharmacy and the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) among older adults by applying an explicit medication review tool in communitypharmacy settings.Methods: A total of 30 older adults aged 65 years or older who had at least one chronic disease or were taking ten or more medications regularly were included.The 2019 Beers Criteria were applied to assess the presence of PIMs.Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were identified, and causality was evaluated using the Korean algorithm version 2.0 for ADR assessment.Medication duplication was also reviewed by analyzing patients' prescriptions and self-reported medication use.Results: The mean age of the study participants was 73.9 5.8 years, with an equal distribution of male and female patients (15 each).The mean number of medications taken was 16.2 4.8 per patient.A total of 61 cases of PIM use were identified according to the Beers Criteria.ADRs were observed in 38 cases among 12 patients, and medication duplication was detected in 24 cases among 13 patients.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate a high prevalence of PIM use, medication duplication, and ADRs among older adults with chronic diseases receiving polypharmacy.These results highlight the critical role of community pharmacists in providing individualized medication management services for this vulnerable population.(