Polypharmacy and Medication Non-Adherence among Elderly Veterans Administration (VA) Patients

Denys Lau, PhD is the primary investigator for the study, "Polypharmacy and Medication Non-Adherence among Elderly Veterans Administration (VA) Patients." Polypharmacy and non-adherence to medication are two well-documented public health problems, especially among elder patients. However, the interaction between polypharmacy and non-adherence is less well understood and previous studies have produced mixed results. This study will characterize the prevalence of polypharmacy and its association with adherence in elderly patients with two co-existing common health problems, hyperlipedemia and congestive heart failure. Ultimately we believe that a better understanding of the use and impact of polypharmacy on disease outcomes will lead to improvements in the quality of medication use among elderly patients.