Postdoctoral Research Fellow School of Nursing
Columbia University
Part of our Junior Investigator Intensive Program, Ji Won Lee, PhD, enjoys USDEN’s monthly meetings to discuss research ideas, and she likes being able to connect with others in our network.
Dr. Lee chose a career in nursing to be with individuals at their lowest or at the time they are most vulnerable to bring them helpful care and compassion, and she finds joy in the fact that she can contribute positively towards someone’s life. Particularly on deprescribing in these experiences, she says, “I saw the frequent presence of polypharmacy among older adults undergoing orthopedic surgery, and the negative effects of polypharmacy on surgical outcomes. The fragmentation of care that older adults frequently experience seemed to improve before surgery, and I saw this as an opportune moment to intervene and address polypharmacy.”
In her career, Dr. Lee has witnessed patients who have benefited positively from deprescribing; she said, “Patients were happy about cessation of certain negative symptoms, simplification of medication dosing, and improved finances.” According to Dr. Lee, such patients did not understand why some of their providers had not recommended deprescribing, which drives her efforts to address barriers to deprescribing, and encourages her to have conversations with patients about the importance of deprescribing.
