A Use Case to Support Precision Medicine for Frequently Hospitalized Older Adults with Polypharmacy

Polypharmacy in older adults results in multiple negative clinical consequences including increased risk of hospital readmissions. Precision medicine may provide tools to optimize complex medication regimens however its potential in older adults with polypharmacy is unknown. We carried out pharmacogenetic testing in an older adult with multiple chronic conditions and polypharmacy who was concerned about frequent readmissions despite receiving guideline-concordant care and being adherent to medication regimen. The testing identified patients’ CYP2D6 rapid metabolizer status. This may have resulted in decreased exposure to Carvedilol which was primary drug for CHF management in this patient. Additional nine drug-drug interactions were identified during personalized drug regimen review. We concluded that, though precision medicine has enormous potential in older adults with polypharmacy, the complexity of pharmacogenetic information requires innovative informatics solutions to support optimal workflows, decision support, and medication optimization and management in order to fully utilize its potential in routine clinical care.