Promoting Healthy Medication Use Through Indigenous Knowledge Sharing: A Coyote Story

Polypharmacy is the administration of more medications than clinically required or appropriate, and it can negatively impact wellness. Prescribers, pharmacists, nurses, and those receiving care services all have an important role to play in promoting healthy medication use and minimizing the risk related to polypharmacy. Medication management involves health care professionals regularly reviewing drug therapies with patients for any needed changes. This strategy is a key way to reduce the harms of polypharmacy. A review of the First Nations Health Authority Health Benefits Claims data in 2015 confirmed that polypharmacy is an issue for First Nations in British Columbia, Canada. This was further validated in a series of meetings held in four First Nations communities. The learnings from these meetings were that many people do not know the names of their medications, the reasons for taking them, or how to advocate for themselves during health care interactions. A unique strategy was needed to both encourage and empower First Nations and Indigenous people to discuss managing their medications, and to support health care professionals to better understand how to engage First Nations patients about their medications.