Imperial College London (ICL)

ID 324

There is a need to quantify and characterise the nature and extent of polypharmacy at a population level, to understand where there may be opportunities for improvement.

The aim of this project is to answer the following research questions: 1) What is the prevalence of polypharmacy across NWL, against established definitions of polypharmacy? 2) What are the patterns and trends in polypharmacy within the NWL population and sub populations, including by demographics, diagnoses, and patient and health system outcomes? 3) What opportunities are there for using WSIC data to inform improvement in overprescribing and deprescribing of medications for patient benefit There is no universal definition of polypharmacy used in research, different definitions are used depending on the context and aim of the study. We will therefore apply multiple definitions according to the specific research question, and as appropriate given the patterns observed in the data. Patient engagement is important for relevance and impact in modern research. Part of this research project is to engage with patients as individuals and groups to identify areas of interest and focus for the project, to ensure that findings are communicated clearly and effectively, and to maximise impact for patient benefit. We have begun this work in shaping the aims and research questions of this study with a public partner member of the project team, and are looking to broaden our engagement further.

13/04/2023

TRE