1. Accumulation of Good Intentions: How Individual Practice Guidelines Lead to Polypharmacy in the Treatment of Patients with Polytrauma
- Author
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Mary Jo Pugh, Lindsey P. Gavin, Carlos A. Jaramillo, Lindsey Brown-Taylor, Tracy Kretzmer, Tyler Cooper, and Blessen C. Eapen
- Subjects
030506 rehabilitation ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Traumatic brain injury ,Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,Intention ,Postacute Care ,Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,In patient ,Medical prescription ,Intensive care medicine ,Veterans ,Polypharmacy ,Multiple Trauma ,business.industry ,Rehabilitation ,medicine.disease ,Polytrauma ,Clinical Practice ,Posttraumatic stress ,Neurology ,Neurology (clinical) ,0305 other medical science ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Polytrauma clinical triad (PCT) is the comorbid occurrence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and pain after trauma. No clinical practice guidelines for postacute care of patients with PCT currently exist; instead, clinical practice guidelines have been published for the three conditions (TBI, PTSD, and pain) as distinct clinical entities. Using multiple, individual practice guidelines for a patient with PCT may lead to unintended prescription of multiple and potentially adversely interacting medications (ie, polypharmacy). Polypharmacy, especially that which includes central nervous system-acting medications, may lead to overdose, suicidality, and chronic symptomatology. Current individual guidelines for each condition of PCT do not address how to coordinate care for the polytraumatic diagnosis. The purpose of this Practice Management piece is to describe the unintended consequences of polypharmacy in patients with PCT and to discuss mitigation approaches including rational prescribing, nonpharmacologic alternatives, and interdisciplinary coordination.
- Published
- 2021
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