RESIDENTS of aged care facilities who take multiple medications and have complex medication regimens are more likely to be hospitalised than those who don't, according to research out of Monash University.
A multidisciplinary team from Monash University led by Associate Professor Simon Bell, working in collaboration with Resthaven Incorporated, tracked 383 residents of six Australian long-term care facilities over a 12-month period.
The findings of this study have led to Resthaven reconsidering its approach to deprescribing.
Resthaven intends to explore the potential for medical reviews with GPs and pharmacists to reduce unwanted hospital stays.
Associate Professor Bell said that polypharmacy is not inherently bad but he advocates for medication regimens to be individually tailored to match each resident's specific goals of care.
"Some residents have medical conditions that are best managed by multiple medicines," Bell said.
However, "many older people take medicines that are either unnecessary or no longer appropriate, as the risk-to-benefit ratios for taking specifics medicines changes as people age."
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