Requirements: 

Your initial discussion post should include the following: 

  1. Identify and discuss 2-3 definitions of polypharmacy (there are multiple definitions). Your textbook can count as 1 reference. You must also include an additional reference from an evidence-based practice journal article or national guideline. 
  2. Identify three risk factors that can lead to polypharmacy. Explain the rationale for why each listed item is a risk factor. Risk factors are different than adverse drug reactions. ADRs can be a result of polypharmacy, and is important, but ADRs are not a risk factor. 
  3. Explore three action steps that a provider can take to prevent polypharmacy. 
  4. Provide an example of how your clinical preceptors have addressed polypharmacy.

Solution

As a future nurse practitioner, we must be on the lookout for and take steps to avoid polypharmacy. The term “polypharmacy” has been defined in three different ways by Geyer and Christmals (2020). Prescriptions for multiple medications, at least five medications, and medications that may be deemed unnecessary. There are many ways to describe polypharmacy, but Anathan and colleagues (2020) used the term “five or more medications in a single day” to describe it.

In order to avoid negative outcomes, it is essential to be aware of the dangers of polypharmacy. Elderly populations are at high risk for polypharmacy because of the aging body and reduced drug clearance as well as side effects that may be mistaken for medical conditions and therefore treated pharmacologically, according to Anathan (2020). As Geyer and Christmals (2020) noted, patients who have multiple providers and poor communication between them may also be at risk for polypharmacy. After hospitalizations and acute care visits, medications may be prescribed incorrectly if one does not review and update current medication lists (Turabian, 2020)….Kindly click the purchase icon to purchase the full solution at $5