Polypharmacy, the practice of taking multiple medications to manage health conditions, is common for children. Many children today have a higher burden chronic illness and an increasing number of pharmaceuticals—often delivered in various doses throughout the day. Polypharmacy has been linked to a variety of pediatric and adult outcomes, including medication errors and readmission. - Consequently, the Society of Hospital Medicine recognizes polypharmacy as a risk factor for readmission for adult populations. These adverse outcomes are related to both the human elements of polypharmacy (eg, cognitive burden, adherence) and the pharmacologic elements, including drug– drug interactions. For many children, the safety implications of polypharmacy may be more consequential due to the reliance of multiple caregivers to administer medications, which requires additional coordination to ensure that medications are administered and not duplicated. Dual administration of the same medication by both parents is the most common reason for pediatric calls to Poison Control Centers. Yet, there is a paucity of research in this area, with most of the pediatric literature focusing on the outpatient setting and specific populations, including epilepsy and mental health. -
展开▼
