Optimizing Medication and Patient Health through Deprescribing Practices

Abstract

In this rapidly changing healthcare environment, optimizing medication regimens has become crucial for patient safety. This importance is emphasized by the increasing prevalence of polypharmacy - the use of multiple medications - which pose significant risk, especially in older adults, for adverse drug reactions, increased use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), drug-drug interactions, and other factors that may threaten patient safety. In response to these challenges, deprescribing has gained prominence as an approach to enhance patient outcomes. More than simply stopping medications, deprescribing is a systematic process that aims to identify and discontinue specific drugs when their harm outweighs the benefit. This paper discusses the implications of polypharmacy, evaluates deprescribing tools and guidelines, assesses the barriers to implementing deprescribing practices, examines the roles of pharmacists, physicians and patients in deprescribing plans, and considers future trends and research directions to fill some of the gaps found within the actions of deprescribing. By providing this overview, this paper aims to start dialogue on how medication optimization can be used to improve patient health.