Polypharmacy in Hospice and Palliative Care

In patients with limited life expectancy, or if the clinician would not be surprised if the patient were to die within a year, reconsidering the treatment targets and engaging in an open discussion with the patient on their goals of care would be appropriate. When a desire to deprescribe has been reached by both clinician and patient, a stepwise and guided approach to deprescribing with regular follow-ups is recommended. This article discusses common medications that can be deprescribed in the palliative/hospice patients and provides toolkits for future reference.