Reducing Polypharmacy in Older Adults Through Medication Reconciliation Protocols

Reducing Polypharmacy in Older Adults Through Medication Reconciliation Protocols

Week 1 Discussion: Health Disparities and Social Justice

Reducing Polypharmacy in Older Adults Through Medication Reconciliation Protocols

Polypharmacy, which involves taking five or more drugs, is highly prevalent in older adulthood. According to Wang et al. (2023), the proportion of adults across the U.S. taking more than one drug has nearly doubled in the past 2 decades, with the elderly population being the most affected. This increases additional exposure to various side effects, drug interactions, hospitalization, and even death (Varghese et al., 2024). Medication reconciliation, the term that refers to the process where health professionals review the whole medication history of a patient during clinical handover, has been shown to reduce errors and increase patient safety. As a study by Jost et al. (2024) indicates, pharmacist-led medication reconciliation can decrease medication errors and hospitalization by ensuring that patients receive only necessary, safe, and appropriate prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to treat their illnesses.

The decrease in polypharmacy, in health policy terms, aligns with the U.S. healthcare system’s goals of increasing safety, decreasing costs, and delivering high-quality care. The Joint Commission requires that hospitals maintain accurate medication lists in their point of care (The Joint Commission, 2025). Another program offered by Medicare, which enables older adults to track their prescriptions, is Part D Medication Therapy Management (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2025). Professional societies, such as the American Geriatrics Society, have also developed the Beers Criteria. This tool identifies which medications can be safely used in older adults and which ones should be avoided (American Geriatrics Society, 2025). Adherence to these guidelines and policies will enable nurses and healthcare teams to mitigate the risks of polypharmacy in older adults.

References

American Geriatric Society. (2025). AGS releases new Beers criteria alternatives list to support safer prescribing for older adults | American Geriatrics Society.
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services . (2025).
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Jošt, M., Kos, M. K., Kos, M., & Knez, L. (2024). Effectiveness of pharmacist-led medication reconciliation on medication errors at hospital discharge and healthcare utilization in the next 30 days: A pragmatic clinical trial.
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The Joint Commission. (2025).
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Varghese, D., Koya, H. H., Ishida, C., & Patel, P. (2024, February 12).
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Wang, X., Liu, K., Shirai, K., Tang, C., Hu, Y., Wang, Y., Hao, Y., & Dong, J.-Y. (2023). Prevalence and trends of polypharmacy in U.S. adults, 1999–2018.
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Reducing Polypharmacy in Older Adults Through Medication Reconciliation Protocols