Low-value Care

Sensible Medicine—Balancing Intervention and Inaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: This Viewpoint proposes that sensible medicine for COVID-19 may better serve patients than unreasoned treatment using unproven interventions in the moment.

Publication: JAMA

Date Published: October 15, 2020

Author(s): Christopher W. Seymour, MD, MSc, Erin K. McCreary, PharmD and Jacob Stegenga, PhD

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To eliminate medication overload, serious cultural, educational, and policy changes are needed. This action plan offers recommendations for policymakers, health care institutions, clinicians, and patients across five key categories to reduce harm from multiple medication use. Suggested Citation: Eliminating medication overload: A national action plan. Working Group on Medication Overload. Brookline, MA: The Lown Institute, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46241/LI.YLBW4885

Pharmaceutical marketing is a significant factor in the growing public health crisis of medication overload, which puts millions of older adults at risk of preventable harm and premature death. This issue brief provides recommendations to reduce pharmaceutical industry influence by limiting pharma sales rep visits to clinicians and direct-to-consumer advertising.

This issue brief provides recommendations for clinical practice guidelines and electronic health records that would give clinicians the information they need to appropriately prescribe and deprescribe.