ArticleHealth science reports2021
A whole of population retrospective observational study on the rates of polypharmacy in New Zealand 2014 to 2018 Polypharmacy in New Zealand: What is the current status?
Article in Health science reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- A scoping review of quality prescribing indicators, rules and criteria for primary care.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Article
- Australian Polypharmacy Trends Between 2013 and 2024: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study in the Adult Population.Drugs & aging · 2026Article
- The effects of continuing aspirin and clopidogrel on perioperative outcomes in primary elective total knee and hip replacement: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedics · 2025Review
- Patterns of medication use following breast cancer diagnosis: an Australian population-based study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- The pharmacist as safety net: an interview-based study of the intersecting dependencies between doctors and pharmacists.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2023Article
- Nationwide Long-Term Evaluation of Polypharmacy Reduction Policies Focusing on Older Adults in Japan.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Pharmacological Adherence Behavior Changes during COVID-19 Outbreak in a Portugal Patient Cohort.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The patterns and implications of potentially suboptimal medicine regimens among older adults: a narrative review.Therapeutic advances in drug safety · 2022Review
- A whole of population retrospective observational study on the rates of polypharmacy in New Zealand 2014 to 2018 Polypharmacy in New Zealand: What is the current status?Health science reports · 2021Article
- Does the type of pharmacy used influence medication adherence? A retrospective observational study in Aotearoa, New Zealand.Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPCArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsPolypharmacy (≥5 medicines) and hyperpolypharmacy (≥10 medicines) can significantly impact people's health. The literature surrounding polypharmacy focuses on the elderly, particularly rest home populations, with few studies looking into younger age bands. Moreover, there have been no recent studies looking into the rates of polypharmacy in New Zealand. This study aimed to determine whether polypharmacy rates have increased over time in the New Zealand population. Specifically investigating polypharmacy rates across age and ethnicity, and identifying which medicines are most commonly prescribed in people with polypharmacy.
methodsA nationwide retrospective observational study was carried out between 2014 and 2018 on 4 697 274 New Zealanders (96% of the population) by linking dispensing data from the Pharmaceutical Collection to patient enrolment data using a National Health Identifier (NHI) to identify the rate of long-term medicine prescribing in New Zealand.
resultsOur study found the rate of polypharmacy to be 9.93% and hyperpolypharmacy to be 1.92% nationwide in 2018, a percentage increase of 4.1% and 7.11% from 2014, respectively. During the same period, we observed the greatest percentage increase (30.37%) in the rate of polypharmacy in the 20 to 29 age band while the rates decreased in older populations. Variation was also noted between ethnicities. Medicines contributing to polypharmacy differed by age group.
conclusionCurrent methods for minimizing polypharmacy and optimizing medicines use are narrowly focused on the elderly. Despite an increase in education and awareness raising campaigns, rates continue to rise in New Zealand's population.
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