Collaborating to manage polypharmacy

Abstract

DiNCQUMGP (Divisions National Consortium for the Quality Use of Medicines in General Practice) reports on acollaboration between doctors, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, and medicine users to managepolypharmacy (prescribing multiple medicines to a patient) amongst older people.We have reported the outcomes of our collaboration (improving the Quality Use of Medicines) elsewhere. Here wediscuss how we worked together, opened up new opportunities, and learned from one another. The first part of thisarticle outlines a constructive new way of thinking about collaborating, that we argue is fundamentally different fromcurrent approaches. The second part describes what we did in the words of those involved.