Objective: The objective of the systematic review is to summarize the incidence, prevalence, risk factors and health consequences of polypharmacy in adults in South Asia.
Introduction: Several studies have been conducted in South Asia on the incidence, prevalence, risk factors and health consequences of polypharmacy in adults. Until now, no systematic review has been conducted on this topic.
Inclusion criteria: Related epidemiological studies conducted on adults (aged 18 years and over) and residing in any country within South Asia (i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) will be eligible for inclusion.
Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, BNI, Web of Science, Scopus and AMED databases will be searched to identify published studies. The search for unpublished studies will be undertaken in EThOS, OpenGrey and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Databases will be searched from their inception dates and no language restrictions will be applied. The JBI systematic review methodology will be followed to conduct the review. Data synthesis will be conducted using narrative synthesis and meta-analyses, where appropriate.