TITLE:
Review of Safety Management and Nursing Strategies for Polypharmacy in Older Adults
AUTHORS:
Huiling Lu, Xiaochan Gao
KEYWORDS:
Older Adults, Polypharmacy, Medication Safety, Safety Management, Nursing Strategies
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.4,
April
15,
2026
ABSTRACT: With accelerated population ageing and the growing prevalence of multimorbidity, polypharmacy in older adults has become a major challenge for medication safety and treatment effectiveness. Inappropriate polypharmacy not only increases financial burden but also substantially elevates the risks of drug-drug interactions, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and regimen-related complexity, thereby compromising clinical outcomes and quality of life. From the perspective of nursing safety management and evidence-based practice, this narrative review summarizes key factors associated with medication-safety risks in older adults with polypharmacy and outlines management strategies focused on deprescribing, standardized processes, risk stratification, and individualized guidance. Available studies suggest that structured medication reconciliation, standardized risk assessment tools, and tailored medication education may help reduce medication-related adverse events and improve safe medication use. In addition, this review discusses current limitations in the researches and outlines directions for future research and practice, providing a theoretical basis for improving the safety and effectiveness of polypharmacy management in older adults.