Deprescribing in palliative care.

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Geriatric Pharmacology
• Medication Management

Background:

• Polypharmacy is prevalent in palliative care, increasing risks of adverse drug events and high pill burden.
• Many patients in end-of-life care continue to take multiple medications due to existing barriers to deprescribing.
• Deprescribing aims to optimize medication regimens and enhance patient quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of deprescribing in palliative care.
• To introduce the OncPal deprescribing guideline as a supportive tool.
• To emphasize the safety and benefits of medication review for patients with limited life expectancy.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing evidence on deprescribing in palliative care.
• Evaluation of the OncPal deprescribing guideline.
• Analysis of the safety of discontinuing specific medication classes, particularly for primary prevention.

Main Results:

• Deprescribing can significantly reduce medication burden and associated risks in palliative care.
• The OncPal guideline provides a structured approach to medication review for patients nearing end of life.
• Evidence supports the safety of stopping certain medications, such as those for primary prevention, without compromising patient well-being.

Conclusions:

• A systematic approach to reviewing and deprescribing inappropriate medications is recommended for palliative care patients.
• Utilizing tools like the OncPal guideline can facilitate safer and more effective deprescribing.
• Optimizing medication regimens through deprescribing can improve quality of life for patients with limited life expectancy.