Less Can Be More: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Mitigating Polypharmacy
Disease State Management/Drug Therapy CE for Pharmacist & Pharmacy Techs
Monograph
Course Summary
Polypharmacy—the concurrent use of multiple medications—is often necessary to manage complex, chronic conditions, particularly in aging and medically complex populations. However, when not appropriately managed, polypharmacy can lead to medication overload, adverse drug events, and diminished quality of life. In today's healthcare environment, optimizing medication regimens requires more than simply counting prescriptions. It demands collaborative, interprofessional efforts that engage pharmacists, prescribers, nurses, patients, and caregivers in shared decision-making to align treatment plans with patient goals and reduce unnecessary medication use. This activity explores strategies to identify and address inappropriate polypharmacy, emphasizing team-based interventions that support safer prescribing, deprescribing where appropriate, and improved care transitions. A coordinated approach across disciplines is essential to reduce medication-related harm, optimize therapeutic outcomes, and improve operational efficiency across care settings.
Describe the risks and prevalence of inappropriate polypharmacy
List the risk factors associated with polypharmacy
Identify strategies to evaluate and manage polypharmacy
Apply interdisciplinary approaches to reduce medication-related harm and improve patient outcomes
Course Syllabus
- Introduction
- History of Polypharmacy
- Consequences of Inappropriate Polypharmacy
- Polypharmacy: Prevalence and Risks
- Polypharmacy's Prevalence
- Risks of Polypharmacy
- Common Causes of Polypharmacy
- Polypharmacy Identification and Mitigation
- Strategies for Identifying Polypharmacy
- Polypharmacy Mitigation
- Barriers to Deprescribing in Primary Care
- Current Technology for Home Medication Management
- Case-Based Scenario: Team-Based Care for Polypharmacy Mitigation
- Outcome
- Summary
- Read the course objectives and faculty planner disclosure
- Read the course material
- Complete the post-test with a minimum score of 70% and complete the course evaluation form.
- Results are automatically submitted to CPE Monitor
Faculty Planner Disclosure
The following individuals were involved in planning, developing, and/or authoring this activity: L. Austin Fredrickson, MD, FACP; Sandra Rogers, MD; Anna Shurtleff Smith, MPH, BSN-RN; and Pamela Sardo, PharmD, BS. None of the individuals involved in developing this activity has a conflict of interest or financial relationships related to the subject matter. There are no financial relationships or commercial or financial support relevant to this activity to report or disclose by RxCe.com or any of the individuals involved in the development of this activity.
Unlabeled Use Disclosures
The information provided in this course is general in nature, and it is designed solely to provide participants with continuing education credit(s). This course and materials are not meant to substitute for the independent, professional judgment of any participant regarding that participant's professional practice, including but not limited to patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or health management. Medical and pharmacy practices, rules, and laws vary from state to state, and this course does not cover the laws of each state; therefore, participants must consult the laws of their state as they relate to their professional practice. Healthcare professionals must consult their employer, healthcare facility, hospital, or other organization for guidelines, protocols, and procedures to follow. The information provided in this course does not replace those guidelines, protocols, and procedures, but is for academic purposes only, and this course's limited purpose is for the completion of continuing education credits. Participants are advised and acknowledge that information related to medications, their administration, dosing, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, warnings, precautions, or accepted uses is constantly changing. Any person taking this course understands that such a person must make an independent review of medication information before any patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and/or health management. Any discussion of off-label use of any medication, device, or procedure is informational only, and such uses are not endorsed hereby. Nothing contained in this course represents the opinions, views, judgments, or conclusions of RxCe.com LLC. RxCe.com LLC is not liable or responsible to any person for any inaccuracy, error, or omission with respect to this course or course material.
Computer Hardware/Software Requirements
Please ensure the device you plan to use meets these requirements and specifications:
- Operating System: Windows 7,8,10, or 11 /Mac OS X 10.9 or later/iOS/Android
- Supported Browsers: Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera
- A connection to the internet
- For Live Webinars or Conferences: GoToWebinar application for iOS, Android, Mac, or PC. You cannot 'call into' a live conference.
- Target Audience: Pharmacist, Pharmacy Tech
- Secondary Audiences: This educational activity is also for other healthcare professionals, such as nurses, physicians, or others who may be part of a healthcare team and may be interested in this educational topic. A healthcare team approach to patient care may be discussed in this activity, as applicable. No state board or professional organization has evaluated this activity to determine whether it meets the continuing education requirements of nurses, physicians, or other professions not listed under the “Target Audience” described above. Always verify with individual employers or supervisors whether they will accept this educational activity upon completion.
- Contact Hours: 2.00 (0.20 CEUs)
- Activity Release Date: 3/16/2026
- Activity Expiration Date: 3/16/2029
- Activity Type: Application
- UAN: JA4008424-0000-26-029-H01-P
- Topic: Disease State Management/Drug Therapy
- UAN Number: (Techs): JA4008424-0000-26-029-H01-T
- CeBroker Number: 20-1364842
Faculty:
RxCe.com, LLC is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
RxCe.com, LLC, offers pharmacy technician continuing education courses for PTCB recertification. Pharmacy technician courses are indicated both in the Target Audience description and the ACPE UAN which will end with a "T".