As an aging population, it’s projected that by 2030, more than 17% of the Australian population will comprise of people over 65 years of age, and whom will contribute to about 40% of the national drug expenditure. Multimorbidity is common in older people, with subsequent polypharmacy. And with age-related physiological changes, medications which were previously beneficial, may potentially put older people at greater risk of medication-related harm. Deprescribing is the systematic, patient-centred and supervised process of reviewing and discontinuing medications where harm likely outweighs benefit, with the aim of improving health outcomes. As medication experts, pharmacists play an essential role in identifying those patients likely to benefit from deprescribing. This session will equip pharmacists with the essential skills and tools to competently develop and communicate deprescribing plans to optimise medication use for older patients.
Event code: CQ18013HCPD credits: 5 Group 2