The care of patients with multiple medical conditions is one of the greatest challenges now faced by healthcare providers. To date the vast majority of medical research, guidelines and contractual agreements have dealt with single targets for single disease states, whereas in reality many patients have multiple chronic conditions, requiring multiple treatments. The resulting polypharmacy (use of multiple medicines) can be both appropriate and inappropriate and the key healthcare aim for individual patients is to ensure the on-going safe and effective use of their multiple medicines. Research into the management of patients with multiple medical conditions is in relative infancy.
- Ref: Polypharmacy Guidance – Medicines Review, NHS Scotland
- Polypharmacy Guidance: Realistic Prescribing, Scottish Government Polypharmacy Model of Care Group, 2018
Page last reviewed: 25 Sep 2020
