At Rosalind Franklin University, education isn’t just for students. Our faculty are lifelong learners themselves, and their lessons aren’t limited to the classroom. Knowledge sharing can also take the format of a podcast such as the College of Pharmacy’s HelixTalk, a faculty-produced slate of programming geared toward pharmacy students, practicing pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, or it can happen via video news release through the Associated Press for a consumer audience.
Sneha Srivastava, PharmD, BCACP, CDCES, associate professor and associate director of pharmacy skills education in the College of Pharmacy, took part in an Associated Press–produced, nationally distributed video news story called, “Too many pills? How to Talk to Your Doctor about Reviewing What’s Needed.” In the video, Dr. Srivastava discussed polypharmacy and the importance of patients regularly reviewing their medications with their doctor or pharmacist.
“Polypharmacy is defined in a couple of different ways; the most common definition is somebody taking five or more medications,” Dr. Srivastava explained in the video. “When somebody is taking lots of medications, it can become very complicated for a lot of different reasons. One is that you are taking all these medications, and if side effects are happening, we’re not sure which one is causing them. Is it medication related, or is it medical condition related?”
“Polypharmacy is defined in a couple of different ways; the most common definition is somebody taking five or more medications.”
The video also features Dr. Srivastava describing how a patient can prepare for a medication review, and the importance of asking “why?”
“The best thing to bring is your most up-to-date medication list that contains all the medications you’re taking, both prescriptions and over-the-counter, as well as the doses you’re prescribed and how often you take the medications,” Dr. Srivastava said. She also emphasized that asking “why” when a provider recommends a medication change can help get the conversation started, which could also include discussions about medication costs and adherence.
Polypharmacy and Deprescribing
COP faculty Khyati Patel, PharmD, BCACP, and Sean Kane, PharmD, BCPS, both associate professors of pharmacy practice, took a deep dive into polypharmacy and the question of deprescribing during a recent episode of their HelixTalk podcast.
“Deprescribing might sound like it means just getting rid of a medication, but it’s a lot more than that,” Dr. Kane explained in the podcast. “It’s a planned process involving, how do you taper off if you need to taper down the dose? And how do you supervise the patient? That monitoring component is really important. You’re trying to maximize the benefits of getting rid of the medication while minimizing the downsides of the patient no longer having that medication, particularly if there could be withdrawal that can happen when discontinuing certain medications.”
“This is a shared decision-making that needs to happen between patient or their caregivers and provider or patient care team,” Dr. Patel added. “It’s important the patient understands the rationale for why deprescribing is necessary. We need to have their buy-in that they’re ready to do so for a successful outcome, so they don’t end up back on the medication and probably back where they started.”
College of Pharmacy (COP) faculty are using multimedia sources to reach consumers and fellow pharmacy professionals on the subject of polypharmacy. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about your medications or whether you should still be taking them. Do not start, stop or change your medications on your own. Your healthcare provider can guide you through the appropriate process and any potential side effects.
Sara Skoog is a staff writer with the RFU Division of Marketing and Brand Management. In addition to writing for Helix and other university publications, she also produces Pulse, RFU’s monthly e-newsletter.