Deprescribing Medication at the End of Life
Member Exclusive | Hospice Foundation of America Webinar
Event Details
Polypharmacy can complicate care, especially at the end of life—where every medication choice matters. This program will provide hospice interdisciplinary team members with the knowledge and skills needed to address polypharmacy in patients nearing the end of life while promoting harm reduction and maintaining comfort and quality of life through collaborative care planning. You will learn how to identify medications that may be doing more harm than good, recognize the hidden risks of prescribing cascades, and weigh the benefits of deprescribing against the goals of comfort and quality of life as well as communicating these concepts effectively with patients and their caregivers.
Objectives:
- Define polypharmacy and its impact on patients.
- Identify common medications and classes of medications that can be discontinued at end of life.
- Develop care plans for deprescribing medications and implementing them in a collaborative practice setting.
SDAHO members receive free or discounted rates on HFA educational sessions. Register through SDAHO to receive a coupon code to use on HFA's site to access the special rates.
Nancy Messih is a seasoned clinical pharmacist with over two decades of diverse experience across hospice and palliative care, long-term care, specialty pharmacy, compounding, and retail settings. Currently serving at Care Dimensions Hospice and Palliative Care, she brings a patient-centered approach to medication management, ensuring safety, efficacy, and regulatory compliance in complex clinical environments.
Nancy specializes in deprescribing, formulary optimization, symptom management, and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a strong focus on improving quality of life for patients facing serious illness. Her expertise includes managing automated dispensing systems, leading medication safety initiatives, and serving as a clinical resource for healthcare teams.
As a Board-Certified Geriatric Pharmacist and licensed in multiple states, Nancy combines deep pharmacological knowledge with a compassionate, team-based approach to care. Her background spans high-volume mail order and specialty pharmacy services, non-sterile and sterile compounding, and integrated roles in both inpatient and community care settings.