REDUCING POLYPHARMACY IN EXTENDED CARE

In this 5-year prospective study, we determined the feasibility of red ucing polypharmacy in a long-term care institution by a systematic rev iew of the pharmacy records, At 6-month intervals, the computer printo ut of all medications prescribed to patients in a 550-bed institution was reviewed. After patients taking more than 10 different drugs were identified, their physician was notified and was asked to review their medications according to specific guidelines. The number of patients taking 10 or more medications was reduced from 67, when the program wa s started, to 9. The average number of medications per patient was red uced from 5.5 to 4.6. This program reduced the prevalence of polypharm acy and had longlasting effects on the physicians' prescribing habits. We also believe it led to improved patient care by reducing the poten tial for drug interactions and to cost savings for the pharmacy.