The Complexities of Polypharmacy: The Good GP with Deborah Hawthorne

The Good GP

In this episode of The Good GP Podcast, host Dr Krystyna de Lange engages in a discussion with guest Deborah Hawthorne, a rural-based clinical pharmacist from Northeast Victoria, about the complexities of polypharmacy and the crucial need to reduce unnecessary medications.

Deborah emphasises the integral role of GPs in coordinating patient care and the importance of regularly reviewing medications to align with patient care goals.

The discussion centres on the challenges of polypharmacy, the need for medication review and deprescribing, and practical strategies for GPs to consider in patient care.

Deborah delves into the importance of medication review and deprescribing, emphasising the need to assess current therapeutic impact, potential side effects, and patient satisfaction with medications. She highlights the challenges of deprescribing certain medications and the need to taper them off gradually.

Delving into the rewarding aspect of simplifying medication regimens and the act of deprescribing, encompassing the reduction of medication strength, changing dosing intervals, and identifying prescribing cascades.

Additionally, Deborah mentions the availability of tools and guidelines, such as the:

- Drugs Burden Index Calculator (DBI)

- Beers Criteria

- CEASE

- ERASE

You can find links to deprescribing guidelines at the Australian Deprescribing Network ( https://www.australiandeprescribingnetwork.com.au/) and the Primary Health Network in Tasmania (https://www.primaryhealthtas.com.au/resources/deprescribing-resources/)

Exploring home medication reviews, their benefits, and reasons for referral, such as polypharmacy and cognitive issues. Hawthorne emphasises the value of conducting medication reviews in a patient's home to assess medication use, storage, and techniques and to provide education and confidence in managing medications.

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