The Swiss cheese prescribing model for precision medicine

Although medicines have obvious major benefits for patients, they may also cause unintended harm and are associated with a certain degree of risk. Drug prescribing is complex, and the number of medications prescribed per patient, especially in elderly patients, is constantly increasing, leading to an increased risk of drug-drug interactions and adverse drug reactions.1-3 Moreover, the literature largely describes inappropriate use of medicines, including excessive doses, inappropriate durations, adverse health events due to polypharmacy, drug-related hospitalizations, mortality, unnecessary costs, and sometimes higher risks than benefits.