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Choosing Wisely recommendations

Consumer resources

In practice in Hospitals

In practice in Primary Care

Prescribing in Older People Hub

Choosing Wisely has a number recommendations from four member colleges, societies and associations on the prescribing and deprescribing in older people. Champion Health Services have been putting recommendations into practice within the hospitals and health services. For primary care, NPS MedicineWise has developed a number of educational programs and continuing professional development resources. We also have a range of resources for consumers.

Check out how Choosing Wisely is improving prescribing for older people and get inspired to further the conversation to reduce unnecessary treatments in your setting.

In practice in Hospitals

In practice in Primary Care

Consumer resources

Choosing Wisely recommendations

In practice in Hospitals

Clinical Care Standards

Medication Safety Standard

Leaders of a health service organisation describe, implement and monitor systems to reduce the occurrence of medication incidents, and improve the safety and quality of medicines use. The workforce uses these systems.

In practice in Primary Care

NPS MedicineWise Programs

Anticholinergic burden: The unintended consequences for older people

Improving the safe use of medicines with anticholinergic effects for older people can have a positive impact on quality of life and reduce the risk of side effects.

Consumer resources

5 Questions to ask your doctor about side effects of medications

Action plan for managing side effects

Planning for a change: When my medicines may be causing side effects

Choosing Wisely recommendations

The Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists

24 Jan 2020
Reduce use of multiple concurrent therapeutics (hyper-polypharmacy).
24 Jan 2020
Recognise and stop the prescribing cascade.

Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

24 Jan 2020
Do not prescribe medications for patients on five or more medications, or continue medications indefinitely, without a comprehensive review of their existing medications, including over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements, to determine whethe

Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand

24 Jan 2020
Avoid medication-related harm in older patients (>65 years) receiving 5 or more regularly used medicines by performing a complete medication review and deprescribing whenever appropriate.

Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine

09 Aug 2016
Do not prescribe medication without conducting a drug regimen review.

Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine & the Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine

01 Mar 2016
To avoid adverse medication interactions and adverse drug events in cases of polypharmacy, do not prescribe medication without conducting a drug regime review.