RISK FACTORS OF POLYPHARMACY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ELDERLY PATIENTS

Abstract

Polypharmacy is the simultaneous use of multiple medications by a patient, generally with the aim of treating different health conditions. In the elderly, multiple factors must be analyzed as a consequence of the aging process itself, with polypharmacy being a factor of great concern for professionals of pharmacy, since taking two or more medications daily can interfere with the patient's quality of life in addition to various side effects. This article is a bibliographical research that aims to analyze the abusive use of medicines in the elderly, in addition to carrying out a search regarding the aging process and its physical and psychological consequences; discuss the excessive demand for the use of medicines in society in the general context and its causes and the attributes of pharmaceutical professionals, all in line with issues related to polypharmacy. It was observed that the pharmacist is one of the main responsible for providing knowledge to these people, as well as controlling the way they take these medications so that one does not interfere with the other's response, thus causing more health problems.