Theoretical Underpinnings of a Model to Reduce Polypharmacy and Its Negative Health Effects: Introducing the Team Approach to Polypharmacy Evaluation and Reduction (TAPER)

BackgroundPolypharmacy, particularly among older adults, is gaining recognition as an important risk to health. The harmful effects on health arise from disease-drug and drug-drug interactions, the cumulative burden of side effects from multiple medications and the burden to the patient. Single-disease clinical guidelines fail to consider the complex reality of optimising treatments for patients with multiple morbidities and medications. Efforts have been made to develop and implement interventions to reduce the risk of harmful effects, with some promising results. However, the theoretical basis (or pre-clinical work) that informed the development of these efforts, although likely undertaken, is unclear, difficult to find or inadequately described in publications. It is critical in interpreting effects and achieving effectiveness to understand the theoretical basis for such interventions.ObjectiveOur objective is to outline the theoretical underpinnings of the development of a new polypharmacy intervention: the Team Approach to Polypharmacy Evaluation and Reduction (TAPER).MethodsWe examined deprescribing barriers at patient, provider, and system levels and mapped them to the chronic care model to understand the behavioural change requirements for a model to address polypharmacy.ResultsUsing the chronic care model framework for understanding the barriers, we developed a model for addressing polypharmacy.ConclusionsWe discuss how TAPER maps to address the specific patient-level, provider-level, and system-level barriers to deprescribing and aligns with three commonly used models and frameworks in medicine (the chronic care model, minimally disruptive medicine, the cumulative complexity model). We also describe how TAPER maps onto primary care principles, ultimately providing a description of the development of TAPER and a conceptualisation of the potential mechanisms by which TAPER reduces polypharmacy and its associated harms.

Automated summary

Polypharmacy, especially among older adults, poses significant health risks due to disease-drug and drug-drug interactions, side effects from multiple medications, and patient burden. Current single-disease clinical guidelines fail to address the complexity of optimizing treatments for patients with multiple conditions and medications. Efforts to develop interventions to reduce these risks have shown promise, but their theoretical basis is unclear or inadequately described. Understanding the theoretical basis is critical for interpreting effects and achieving effectiveness.