Praktické lekárnictvo 1-2/2026

Polypharmacy – how to reduce medication in patients

According to the World Health Organization, polypharmacy represents one of the greatest risks in medicine. Its increasing prevalence is undoubtedly linked to the growing number of multimorbid geriatric patients, as well as the expanding range of medications and therapeutic options. It is also a direct consequence of defensive medicine, which generates low-value care that provides little or no benefit to the patient and can even be harmful, as is often the case with polypharmacy. This article explores the causes of polypharmacy and discusses current trends in addressing it, including deprescribing and the implementation of sick day rules.

Keywords: polypharmacy, polypharmacotherapy, choosing wisely, time to benefit, deprescribing, sick day rules, overdiagnosis, overtreatment, low‑value care