Polypharmacy

Research topics

Safer management of polypharmacy in multiple long-term conditions

Medicines are really important in keeping us healthy, but sometimes taking too many medicines can cause problems. When a person is taking multiple medications, we call this polypharmacy. Polypharmacy can be common especially if you have lots of health problems and require numerous medications to help manage this.

Sometimes taking too many medicines together can lead to interactions which cause problems, for example, feeling confused and falling over. We call this problematic polypharmacy. However, when these medicines are used correctly, they are very helpful in managing our health and referred to as appropriate polypharmacy.

Healthcare professionals play an important role in keeping us safe and making sure we use medicines correctly.

Research topics

Polypharmacy Research

As new treatments emerge and people get older, dealing with polypharmacy becomes very important for healthcare professionals. Therefore, we are carrying out research to help people who take medicines and have many health problems. We are looking at how to keep them safe and improve their care. We also want to help people who might be at a higher risk of polypharmacy, like those who may not understand why they are taking their medicine or those who are nearing the end of their lives. We are working closely with our collaborators at St Oswald’s Hospice, where we are focussing on people receiving palliative care. This part of our research aims to better understand the challenges of polypharmacy in end of life settings and ensure that medication use aligns with comfort, dignity, and quality of life.