Unnecessary drug prescriptions are at an epidemic level in the Unites States, as are adverse drug events (ADEs). The most recent statistics (from 2019 or before) paint a frightening picture:
Prescription Drug Use by Age1-2
Hospitalization, Death & Cost of ADEs2-4
An article late last year reviewed the challenges associated with polypharmacy and the barriers to deprescribing drugs that are no longer useful and may even be harmful.
“Over time, a drug’s benefit may decline while its harms increase, Johns Hopkins geriatrician Cynthia Boyd, MD, MPH, told JAMA. ‘There are a pretty limited number of drugs for which the benefit-harm balance never changes.’”5
There are a number of reasons why medical doctors are reluctant to deprescribe. They may be afraid to change the course of care, assuming that the drugs are working even though they may not be. They may not want to deprescribe a drug prescribed by another doctor. Ultimately, it may be the lazy path of least resistance.
“‘We’re all taught how to prescribe these medications. We’re not taught how to stop these medications,’ Eric Lee, MD, a Kaiser Permanente geriatrician in Los Angeles, explained in an interview with JAMA. So ‘prescribing inertia’ – the tendency to keep prescribing a drug even if the indication it originally treated no longer exists – sets in.”5
Talking Deprescription
An effective deprescription conversation in many cases relies on what matters most to the patient. Patients looking to reduce their drug dependency and seeking nonpharmacological alternatives are more likely to receive a change in their care.
As a large portion of your patients are currently taking at least one prescription drug, it’s well-worth a conversation suggesting that they review their prescriptions with their MD to see if any can be eliminated, reduced or replaced with nondrug solutions. If you don’t have this conversation with them, who will?
References
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
