Drug Treatment of the Elderly and those with Multiple Illnesses

Drug Treatment of the Elderly and those with Multiple Illnesses is organized by Karolinska Institute / Karolinska Institutet (KI) and will be held from May 04 - 08, 2026 at Karolinska Institutet Solna Campus, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.

Description:
Elderly people are often treated with many drugs at the same time (polypharmacy) due to multimorbidity. However, drug therapy is not evaluated and re-evaluated to a sufficient degree, which entails risks of suboptimal treatment effect but also of overtreatment, interactions and serious side effects. Such drug-related problems are a common reason for elderly people to be admitted to hospital urgently. Side effects are often interpreted as manifestations of a newly acquired disease and a new drug is started, which can lead to a 'treatment cascade.'

It is important to be able to independently read scientific articles and critically review the evidence that exists for good drug efficacy and safe treatment for the very oldest.

Course objectives:
This course aims to provide increased competence in evidence-based drug use and critical drug evaluation, so that you as a doctor can evaluate information about the benefits, risks and costs of drugs and other treatments so that older people are treated more optimally. In particular, the necessity of critically reviewing indications, evidence of treatment effect and side effects over time is emphasized. The importance of continuously evaluating and reassessing ongoing therapy is particularly highlighted. Treatment alternatives and potential risks are discussed based on many patient cases.