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Review
. 2015 Aug 21:4:113-126.
doi: 10.2147/IPRP.S64535. eCollection 2015.

Polypharmacy in pediatric patients and opportunities for pharmacists' involvement

Alexis E Horace  1 , Fahamina Ahmed  1
Affiliations
Review

Polypharmacy in pediatric patients and opportunities for pharmacists' involvement

Alexis E Horace et al. Integr Pharm Res Pract. .

Abstract

Rates of chronic conditions among pediatrics have been steadily increasing and medications used to treat these conditions have also shown a proportional increase. Most clinical trials focus on the safety of solitary medications in adult patients. However, data from these trials are often times extrapolated for use in pediatric patients who have different pharmacokinetic processes and physical profiles. As research increases and more drugs become available for pediatric use, the issue of polypharmacy becomes more of a concern. Polypharmacy is defined as the practice of administering or using multiple medications concurrently for the treatment of one to several medical disorders. With the increased rates of diagnosed complex disease states as prescribed mediations in pediatric patients, the prevalence and effect of polypharmacy in this patient population is largely a mystery. Polypharmacy falls within the realm of expertise of specialized pharmacists who can undertake medication therapy management services, medical chart reviews, and other services in pediatrics. Pharmacists have the time and knowledge to undertake pertinent interventions when managing polypharmacy and can play a major positive role in preventing adverse events. The aim of this paper is to review the literature on pediatric polypharmacy and provide insight into opportunities for pharmacists to help with management of polypharmacy. Information on adverse events, efficacy, and long-term outcomes with regard to growth and development of children subject to polypharmacy has yet to be published, leaving this realm of patient safety ripe for research.

Keywords: involvement; pediatrics; pharmacists; polypharmacy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of commonly combined psychotropic medications using data from the Florida Medicaid Program from 2002 to 2007 for child and adolescent patients. Note: Data from Constantine et al.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentages of medication classes commonly used for autistic spectrum disorder from the 2001 US Medicaid Program for pediatric patients. Note: Data from Mandell et al.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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