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Therapeutics > Drug Therapy > Polypharmacy
... > Health Occupations > Health Services Administration > Patient Care Management > Delivery of Health Care > Attitude to Health > Health Services Misuse > Medical Overuse > Overtreatment > Polypharmacy
... > Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation > Delivery of Health Care > Attitude to Health > Health Services Misuse > Medical Overuse > Overtreatment > Polypharmacy
... > Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms > Attitude > Attitude to Health > Health Services Misuse > Medical Overuse > Overtreatment > Polypharmacy
... > Health Care Facilities, Manpower, and Services > Health Services > Health Services Misuse > Medical Overuse > Overtreatment > Polypharmacy

Preferred term

Polypharmacy  

Type

  • Topical Descriptor

Broader concept

Related concepts

Entry terms

  • Polymedication

Note

  • note category: do not confuse with POLYPHARMACOLOGY, the design or use of drugs acting on multiple targets or pathways or with PHARMACOLOGY, the discipline or with DRUG COMBINATIONS or with POLYCHEMOTHERAPY see DRUG THERAPY, COMBINATION

Scope note

  • The use of multiple drugs administered to the same patient, most commonly seen in elderly patients. It includes also the administration of excessive medication. Since in the United States most drugs are dispensed as single-agent formulations, polypharmacy, though using many drugs administered to the same patient, must be differentiated from DRUG COMBINATIONS, single preparations containing two or more drugs as a fixed dose, and from DRUG THERAPY, COMBINATION, two or more drugs administered separately for a combined effect. (From Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)

History note

  • 1997; for OVERMEDICATION use MEDICAL OVERUSE 2016-2021

In other languages

URI

http://www.yso.fi/onto/mesh/D019338

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