It has been reported that the probability of an adverse drug event is 13% in patients taking 2 drugs, and increases to 82% in those taking more than seven (Goldberg et al, 1996) ¹. In patients taking 10 medications or more, this probability nears 100%

Screening: 
Do you have more than 5 medications?

Additional resources:

• Polypharmacy.ca - Polypharmacy Toolkit
• Canadian Geriatrics Society - Safer Prescribing in Elderly 
• GiiC Toolkit - Polypharmacy
• American Geriatrics Society - BEERS Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults

 

Videos:

• Chris Fan Lun - “Polypharmacy” 
• Dr. John Puxty - “When Normal Care May Not Necessarily be Good Care” 

 

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1. Goldberg RM, Mabee J, Chan L, and Wong S (1996). Drug-drug and drug-disease interactions in the ED: analysis of a high-risk population. Am J Emerg Med 14: 447-450.