Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026

A Novel Method: Super-selective Adrenal Venous Sampling
Published on: September 15, 2017
[Polypharmacy after Discharge from Hospital: An Analysis Using Data of the Statutory Health Insurance (AOK) of
F Tetzlaff1, A Singer2, E Swart3
1Institut für Allgemeinmedizin, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
Introduction And Aim:
The growing number of people suffering from chronic diseases and multimorbidity is associated with an increased risk of polypharmacy. The aims of the study are to estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy and to analyse its determinants in the transition from in- to outpatient care. Furthermore, we estimate the risk of a potential inappropriate medication (PIM) and its determinants.
Methods:
The analyses are based on the data of a German statutory health insurance (AOK Saxony-Anhalt) of the third quarter of 2009. The analyses include all insured persons aged 60 years and older who were discharged from hospital within the study period and had filled at least one prescription at the pharmacy (n=21 041). After the analysis of prevalence rates of polypharmacy within 30 days after discharge from hospital, we used binary logistic regression models to estimate the effect of determinants of polypharmacy and PIM. In addition, interaction effects between the number of diseases and the number of practitioners involved in the therapy were calculated.
Results:
Our analyses show a significant effect of the number of diseases and the number of practitioners on the risk of polypharmacy. Furthermore, patients who are treated with 5 or more drugs have a significantly higher risk of a PIM prescription. The interaction model illustrates a disproportional rise of polypharmacy risk in women with multiple chronic conditions with an increase in the number of doctors treating them.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that polypharmacy is not a result of increasing morbidity alone. Furthermore, the remarkable effect of the number of physicians treating a patient points to an unsolved problem in communication and coordination in outpatient pharmacotherapy and shows the need for centralized medication monitoring.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Discharge Summary Forms
Here's a detailed look at the key components and guidelines for preparing a discharge summary:
Pharmacovigilance
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
Analysis of Population Pharmacokinetic Data
Model-Independent Approaches for Pharmacokinetic Data: Noncompartmental Analysis
One important characteristic of noncompartmental analyses is that drug exposure increases proportionally with increasing doses. This relationship...
Dosage Regimens: Partial Pharmacokinetic Parameters
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios

