Services on Demand
Journal
Article
Spanish (pdf)
Article in xml format
Article references
Automatic translation
Send this article by e-mailIndicators
Cited by SciELO 
Access statistics
Related links
Cited by Google 
Similars in
SciELO 
Similars in Google
Share
Permalink
Revista de Salud Pública
Print version ISSN 0124-0064
Abstract
SANCHEZ-RODRIGUEZ, José R. et al. Polypharmacy in older adults and impact on their quality of life. Literature review. Rev. salud pública [online]. 2019, vol.21, n.2, pp.271-277. ISSN 0124-0064. https://doi.org/10.15446/rsap.v21n2.76678.
Objective
To know, by analyzing the state of knowledge, the impact of the polypharmacy on the quality of life of older adults and the role of nursing when dealing with this health problem.
Materials and Methods
Descriptive review of 62 original articles with multiple methodological designs, in the databases EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science, SciELO, Elsevier, SCOPUS and Dialnet.
Results
Polypharmacy in older adults is more frequent in the female sex and people with low level of education, and is associated with socioeconomic factors. A large percentage of older adults present with prescription cascade due to the amount of drugs consumed and the number of doctors consulted, leading to pharmacological interactions that affect functionality and quality of life.
Conclusions
More control of drugs consumed by older adults is needed to avoid harmful effects. Nursing professionals should have an educational role in this age group to reduce polypharmacy and promote lifestyles that foster healthy ageing.
Keywords : Polypharmacy; aged; quality of life; nursing care (source: MeSH, NLM).
