Background Polypharmacy has become a global public health concern particularly in the elderly population. The elderly population is the most susceptible to the negative effects of polypharmacy due to their altered pharmacokinetics and decreased drug clearance. Therefore, polypharmacy can lead to poor health status and higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy (� 5 drugs) and its association with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in elderly (�65 years) Qatari patients attending Primary Healthcare (PHC) centers in Qatar. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) database of all PHC centers in Qatar for six months (April-September 2017). Results Out of 5639 patients screened, 75.5% (95% CI: 74.3-76.6) were exposed to polypharmacy. Females were 1.18 times more likely to have polypharmacy compared to males (95% CI: 1.03-1.34). The multivariate analysis identified having hypertension (

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained health care systems around the world. Pharmacists have made substantial contributions to the health care operations during the COVID-19 response. The Pharmacy Department at Qatar Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) acted proactively to ensure that all patients received their medications and their refilled prescriptions in time and without any disruption. The Medication Home Delivery Service was introduced and implemented for all Qatar residents to prevent unnecessary visits to health centers, minimize the spread of COVID-19 to vulnerable populations, especially those with multiple comorbidities, and protect health care workers from exposure to the virus. Moreover, several other precautionary measures were taken by the PHCC to ensure uninterrupted access to health care, including moving to a virtual health care delivery model. As of September 2020, the service had served around 64,213 patients since its launch in March 2020. In total, 70,357 medications were delivered and 69,092 (98.2%) medication packages were delivered successfully to patients, with an average of 450.8 medication packages delivered per month. Despite various challenges, the PHCC is considering continuing the Medication Home Delivery Service in the long term to continue with a more effective and efficient service for patients during the coming months and years.

The following information is missing from the Funding statement: Open Access funding is provided by the Qatar National Library.