The nurse recognizes the high incidence and prevalence of polypharmacy among older adults. Which of the following measures should the nurse take to prevent and resolve polypharmacy among these clients?
A) Encouraging clients' physicians and pharmacists to carefully review clients' medication administration records to identify potential interactions
B) Instructing older adults to ensure that at least 2 hours elapse between taking each of their medications
C) Teaching older adults to ensure that they have all of their prescriptions filled at only one pharmacy
D) Informing clients that they should temporarily withhold their medications if they experience side effects
Ans: A
Close monitoring of a client's medication regimen can help identify and/or prevent polypharmacy in many older adults. It would be inappropriate for a nurse to independently assign a particular schedule of administration or to tell clients to hold their medications if they experience side effects. It is prudent for clients to use one, rather than several, pharmacy, but this practice is not the essence of polypharmacy.
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