{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]],"date-time":"2026-02-04T16:59:47Z","timestamp":1770224387608,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,16]],"date-time":"2022-11-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1668556800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Societies"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The high prevalence of polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications in the elderly makes them a vulnerable group to adverse drug events. Deprescribing is the medication review plus cessation of potentially inappropriate medications with a health professional\u2019s help. Several barriers and enablers influence it, and its knowledge can help health professionals. The objective of the study is to understand the Portuguese elderly\u2019s attitudes and ideas about polypharmacy and deprescription. We made a qualitative approach through a focus group with elderly patients from an adult daycare center with transcription and codification into themes and subthemes based on previous frameworks. Eleven elderly patients participated in the focus group. The identified elderly\u2019s ideas and attitudes could be clustered into five main barriers: appropriateness, process, influences, fear, and habit, and five main enablers: appropriateness, process, influences, dislike, and cost. Although the elderly\u2019s strong beliefs regarding medication benefits and necessity prevail, contrary opinions regarding lack of benefit\/necessity, drug interaction\/side effects, and medication complexity\/number may influence their willingness to deprescribe positively. The health professional\u2019s influence and the patient\u2019s trust in their doctors were perceived essential for decision-making as either a barrier or an enabler. The medication benefit was a big barrier, and side effects\/drug interaction experiences are an important enabler.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/soc12060162","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,17]],"date-time":"2022-11-17T03:12:20Z","timestamp":1668654740000},"page":"162","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["The Elderly\u2019s Thoughts and Attitudes about Polypharmacy and Deprescribing: A Qualitative Pilot Study in Portugal"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4692-2003","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro","family":"Sim\u00f5es","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Personalized Health Care Unit Fund\u00e3o, 6230-411 Fund\u00e3o, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6764-0147","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicole","family":"Foreman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"District Hospital of Figueira da Foz, 3094-001 Figueira da Foz, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1787-4586","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Beatriz","family":"Xavier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nursing School of Coimbra, 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2849-5194","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Filipe","family":"Prazeres","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Centre for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Family Health Unit Beira Ria, 3830-596 Gafanha da Nazar\u00e9, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4201-9565","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tiago","family":"Maricoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Family Health Unit Beira Ria, 3830-596 Gafanha da Nazar\u00e9, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Luiz","family":"Santiago","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Center for Health Studies and Research (CEISUC), 3004-512 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, General Practice, Family Medicine University Clinic, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2264-7086","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Augusto","family":"Sim\u00f5es","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Centre for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1071\/HC15167","article-title":"Ageing is not for the faint-hearted: Are we making it worse?","volume":"7","author":"Wallis","year":"2015","journal-title":"Polypharmacy-related harm in the elderly. 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