[Polypharmacy--activities of the social insurance in Austria]

In Austria, about a quarter of the population older than 60 years receives more than five medicines per quarter at the expense of the statutory health insurance. Especially for older and multimorbid people the risk of adverse drug reactions increases by taking multiple drugs. The social insurance has initiated activities to direct the focus on the issue of polypharmacy and the associated problems. An information campaign with the title "Vorsicht Wechselwirkung" has been developed which addresses physicians and patients. Tailored to the target groups, useful information and assistance should contribute to strengthening the awareness and compliance, and to improving the quality of drug therapies. To specifically sensitize general practitioners to the issue of polypharmacy, the "Poly-rate" is calculated. It is used as a parameter to assess the extent of polypharmacy in a physician's practice, and is being sent to general practitioners by the social insurance for information purposes.