Introduction: Harmful medication use in older adults represents a significant problem in developed countries. Community health nurses can contribute greatly to preventing harmful medication use among older adults through their interventions. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the role of community health nurses in preventing and reducing harmful medication use in the treatment of older adults with chronic non-communicable diseases, where daily intake of various medications can lead to dangerous use. Methods: A descriptive method was employed. Literature from the bibliographic databases CINAHL Ultimate, Medline and ScienceDirect was reviewed. The literature used is less than ten years old, fully accessible, and written in English. A total of 16 literature sources were included in the analysis. Results: A total of 10 topics have been identified. Key approaches to preventing harmful medication use among older adults in community healthcare include effective communication, supporting the active role of the patient, monitoring adverse drug reactions, behavioral approaches, health education, ensuring medication safety, supporting lay caregivers, interdisciplinary collaboration, the use of telehealth services, and the use of medication dispensers. Discussion and conclusion: Community health nurses can influence harmful medication use in older adults in many ways. In addition to approaches related to effective communication, patient support, health education, and interdisciplinary collaboration, they can also rely on evolving technology in this area. In the field of preventing harmful medication use in older adults in home care, much research is still needed due to the rapid increase in the number of older adults in the developed world.
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