The event was run as part of the RCSI Charter Meeting 2024. There were a range of speakers present who gave their insights into the challenges of polypharmacy, as well as taking part in a panel discussion:

• Ms Anne Mooney, a pharmacist and member of Patients for Patient Safety Ireland shared her experience as a polypharmacy patient, and the roadblocks she faced every time she was required to order a prescription or make an appointment;
• Dr Frank Moriarty, Senior lecturer of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences in the RCSI explored the factors that contribute to polypharmacy and possible solutions to consider;
• Professor Emma Wallace, General Practitioner and Chair of General Practice, at University College Cork, raised awareness among the audience on the management of polypharmacy from a GP practice perspective, and the risk of adverse reactions in the elderly population;
• Ms Niamh McMahon MSc Course Director Trinity College Dublin, Chief II Pharmacist St James Hospital, and Lead Pharmacist on the HSE National Clinical Programme for Older Persons, reviewed the concept of polypharmacy through different lenses and referred to the World Health Organisation (WHO) targets set to achieve medication without harm from a polypharmacy perspective. She stressed that the management of polypharmacy should have a multidimensional approach and patients should be at the centre of decision-making;
• Professor Catherine Wall, Consultant, shared a haemodialysis patient’s polypharmacy experience and stressed the importance of reviewing and stopping prescription medications when appropriate; and
• Ms Ciara Kirke shared the outcomes of the iSympathy project, the positive impact it had on patients and participating GPs, and outlined the role played by pharmacists as part of a GP team.

The session was full of insight relating to polypharmacy from a patient’s, prescriber’s and pharmacist’s perspective.