Polypharmacy in Pakistani patients: A qualitative study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Polypharmacy in Pakistani patients with complex multimorbidity in East London: A qualitative study using in-depth narrative interviewing
IRAS ID
228870
Contact name
Najia Sultan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen MaryUniversity of London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
Polypharmacy is when a patient is prescribed four or more medications. It occurs mostly in the context of multimorbidity (> 2 medical problems) and is increasingly common. We know that 30-50% of medications prescribed are never taken; this is expensive and burdensome. Effective medication prescribing must consider the patients wishes and experience of being on multiple medications. There needs to be more information for clinicians who wish to have conversations with patients about starting or stopping medications. We need to understand more about the experience of patients who are on lots of medication and how drug regimens impact people's lives.
The patients experience of being on multiple medications is understood even less in patients from ethnic minorities. We know that cultural and language differences change how ethnic minority patients interact with their medical teams. South-Asian patients are interesting particularly because they are at the receiving end of higher ends of prescribing in comparison to other ethnicities; and are more likely to suffer from multiple medical problems.
More than 300 languages are spoken in London alone, but most research is done in English only. Urdu is one of the major languages associated with the South-Asian subcontinent and third most commonly spoken immigrant language in England and Wales. It is the national language of Pakistan and Urdu-speaking Pakistani people form a significant ethnic group in London.
To my knowledge there has been no previous research exploring the experience of Pakistani patients on multiple medications. We want to conduct in-depth interviews in 12-15 patients at home. We will do the interviews in Urdu. Some patients will prefer to speak in a combination of Urdu & English, which is also fine. By exploring these Pakistani patients experience being of many medications the research will provide knowledge that can inform the care of others.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NE/0314
Date of REC Opinion
11 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion