Research can be controversial. The current debate over the benefits of red wine is a good example.

One study finds red wine in small daily amounts is beneficial for cardiovascular health while another finds it is not beneficial for general health.

This controversy is one of many factors slowing the adoption and use of research findings. To reduce this controversy and provide solid evidence for practice, a technique called "systematic research literature review" or "integrative research literature review" has been developed.

The Cochrane group was one of the first to realize how useful it would be to assess all of the research findings that exist on a single topic, while also judging the quality of each research study's methods, so as to determine the state of evidence on that topic.

Many systematic or integrative reviews have been conducted to date and published. One such review was on polypharmacy among senior citizens (Frazier, 2005). This review found 16 published studies on this topic, each identifying adverse health outcomes with polypharmacy.

These include: reduced quality of life, malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, hypotension, hypoglycemia, mobility problems, fractures, emergency department visits, hospital admissions, long hospital stays, nursing home admissions, drug dose and many other types of errors, and death. Not only does this review help to raise concern about the likelihood of adverse health outcomes among seniors who take more than one medication daily, but it also provides much concrete information gleaned from these studies.

A very useful article!

Donna Wilson, Caritas Nurse Scientist