Payne (2016) argues that defining polypharmacy as the use of multiple medications is too simplistic. He introduces the term "problematic polypharmacy" which refers to inappropriate polypharmacy that does not provide benefits and can cause harm through interactions or adverse effects. The study found the highest rates of polypharmacy for conditions like cardiovascular disease. Richards et al (2014) concluded that self-administration of medication in hospitals may provide some benefits like increased patient knowledge but its effects on other outcomes like compliance are unclear due to limitations of the studies.

1. Test/Quizz

2.  Payne, R.A. 2016, "The epidemiology of polypharmacy", Clinical Medicine, vol. 16,
no. 5, pp. 465-469.
 Richardson, S.J., Brooks, H.L., Bramley, G. & Coleman, J.J. 2014, "Evaluating the
Effectiveness of Self-Administration of Medication (SAM) Schemes in the Hospital
Setting: A Systematic Review of the Literature: e113912", PLoS One, vol. 9, no. 12.

3. Polypharmacy describes, in simplistic terms, the use of
mul- tiple medications in an individual. (Payne 2016)
Did Payne (2016) in his article support this statement?
NO YES

4. Correct Answer: NO
He argues that this definition is too simplistic………….
He introduces the term Problematic polypharmacy
which he defined as ‘where multiple medications are
prescribed inappropriately, or where the intended
benefit of the medication is not realised’, potentially
through non-evidence-based therapy, unfavourable
risk-benefit balance, hazardous interactions,
unacceptable treatment burden or poor adherence, or
an undesirable prescribing cascade.

5.  Payne (2016) reports that there is considerable variation in types of conditions for
which multiple medication use is observed, with the highest level of prescribing
observed in 2010 by the BNF :
A Endocrine
B Infections
C Cardiovascular disease,
D Neurology


7. How does the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) describes patient self-administration
of medication (SAM) listed by Richards et al (2014)
A as a ‘transfer of responsibility’ which should be dependent on a patient’s ability to
manage the tasks involved to administer , as well as giving their consent to do so
B as the patients responsibility to administer their own medication through the correct
route
C as patients giving consent to administer their own medication
D as all patients who are admitted to hospital must administer their own medication

8. A as a ‘transfer of responsibility’ which should
be dependent on a patient’s ability to manage
the tasks involved to administer , as well as
giving their consent to do so

9. What was the conclusion of the study carried
out by Richards et al 2014 in relation to
patients self administrating their medication
while in hospital? Did they find any benefits
for the patient self administrating their
medication

10.  Richards et al (2016) concluded that the SAM schemes appear to provide some
benefits (e.g. increased patient knowledge), but their effect on other outcomes
(e.g. compliance) is unclear. Make it challenging to compare results and draw
substantive conclusions about the effectiveness of SAM schemes.
 Limitations Few studies of high methodological quality using validated outcome
measures exist. Inconsistencies in both measuring and reporting outcomes across
studies