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Pharmacotherapy

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Learning Geriatric Medicine

Part of the book series: Practical Issues in Geriatrics ((PIG))

Abstract

The number of octogenarians is growing which results in increasing number of people with multimorbidity. Multimorbidity creates polypharmacy, which, consequently, is the most consistent predictor of inappropriate prescribing and drug-related problems (DRPs) in older people. In this chapter, the main characteristics of polypharmacy and the risks for DRPs, with focus on prescribing cascade and drug interactions, are described. Subsequently, steps to be considered during prescribing for older persons, methods for detecting DRPs and optimisation of polypharmacy are elaborated on. This chapter provides insights on assessment of pharmacotherapy in older patients, detection of potential DRPs, optimal solutions for the detected problems and tailoring pharmacotherapy to the profile, the needs and the goals of care in older patients.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine (Geriatrics), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Belgium, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Mirko Petrovic

  2. Faculty of Pharmacy and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Danijela Gnjidic

  3. Department of Bioanalysis, Pharmaceutical Care Unit, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Eline Tommelein & Koen Boussery

Authors
  1. Mirko Petrovic
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  2. Danijela Gnjidic
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  3. Eline Tommelein
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  4. Koen Boussery
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mirko Petrovic .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Regina Roller-Wirnsberger

  2. Institute for Biomedicine of Ageing Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany

    Katrin Singler

  3. Ageing Clinical Research Department Medicine II, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Maria Cristina Polidori

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Petrovic, M., Gnjidic, D., Tommelein, E., Boussery, K. (2018). Pharmacotherapy. In: Roller-Wirnsberger, R., Singler, K., Polidori, M. (eds) Learning Geriatric Medicine. Practical Issues in Geriatrics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61997-2_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61997-2_23

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-61997-2

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