Pharmacology, polypharmacy and the older adult: a review

District nurses routinely visit and care for older patients who are prescribed multiple medicines. Older people living with multiple comorbidities and polypharmacy are commonly encountered in community nursing. It is important for nurses to recognise that regular medicines use and age-related physiological changes in older people place them at greater risk of medication-related harm. In order to understand this, an underpinning knowledge of the pharmacological principles relating to older people is required. This review will consider the effects of age-related changes and the impact of ageing on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The relationship between polypharmacy and identifying high-risk drugs and adverse drug events will be explored. Medicines use in older adults with multimorbidity including frailty will be discussed. The role of district nurses in supporting older people with medicines optimisation will be considered, with a focus on how the community nurse can contribute to reducing avoidable harm for patients.