Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33694123›Full record

ReviewEuropean geriatric medicine2021

Polypharmacy in older adults: a narrative review of definitions, epidemiology and consequences.

Farhad Pazan, Martin Wehling

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in European geriatric medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 261 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
261citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06212713 unknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Development and Validation of a Health Behaviour Theory-based Questionnaire to Explore the Willingness of Older Adults and Informal Caregivers to Deprescribe

TypeobservationalSponsorUniversité Catholique de LouvainRan2023 to 2024Enrolled600ConditionsPsychologicalArmsQuestionnaire administration
NCT07114094 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Development and Validation of a Deprescribing Tool Relevant to the Indian Context and Evaluation of Its Effectiveness in Reducing Inappropriate Polypharmacy in the Elderly

TypeinterventionalSponsorIndian Council of Medical ResearchRan2025 to 2026Enrolled1,650ConditionsElderlyArmsDeprescribing Tool
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

261 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  13. Effect of polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications on physical functional decline among older adults with advanced cancer receiving systemic treatment.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024
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201 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Farhad PazanClinical Pharmacology Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Ruprecht-Karls-Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany.
Martin WehlingClinical Pharmacology Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Ruprecht-Karls-Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany. martin.wehling@medma.uni-heidelberg.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe number of older adults has been constantly growing around the globe. Consequently, multimorbidity and related polypharmacy have become an increasing problem. In the absence of an accepted agreement on the definition of polypharmacy, data on its prevalence in various studies are not easily comparable. Besides, the evidence on the potential adverse clinical outcomes related to polypharmacy is limited though polypharmacy has been linked to numerous adverse clinical outcomes. This narrative review aims to find and summarize recent publications on definitions, epidemiology and clinical consequences of polypharmacy.

methodsThe MEDLINE database was used to identify recent publications on the definition, prevalence and clinical consequences of polypharmacy using their respective common terms and their variations. Systematic reviews and original studies published between 2015 and 2020 were included.

resultsOne hundred and forty-three definitions of polypharmacy and associated terms were found. Most of them are numerical definitions. Its prevalence ranges from 4% among community-dwelling older people to over 96.5% in hospitalized patients. In addition, numerous adverse clinical outcomes were associated with polypharmacy.

conclusionThe term polypharmacy is imprecise, and its definition is yet subject to an ongoing debate. The clinically oriented definitions of polypharmacy found in this review such as appropriate or necessary polypharmacy are more useful and relevant. Regardless of the definition, polypharmacy is highly prevalent in older adults, particularly in nursing home residents and hospitalized patients. Approaches to increase the appropriateness of polypharmacy can improve clinical outcomes in older adults.

Indexed as

MultimorbidityPolypharmacyAgedHumansIndependent LivingPrevalenceHealth outcomesInappropriate prescribingMultimorbidityOlder adultsPolypharmacy

Identifiers

PMID33694123
PMCPMC8149355

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.