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Deprescribing in a Long Term Care Facility

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Polypharmacy
Interventions
Other: Medication Review
Registration Number
NCT03091153
Lead Sponsor
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Brief Summary

This study will develop, implement and evaluate a deprescribing initiative at a Canadian Long Term Care (LTC) Facility. Residents currently undergo an annual medication review as part of the clinical pharmacy services provided in the LTC facility. For this study, eligible residents will be randomized to receive either a deprescribing focused medication review or usual care.

The deprescribing focused medication therapy assessments will be done on half of the 143 residents residing on the second and third floors of the facility. The other half of residents will serve as the control group and continue to receive their annual medication review and regular care from the attending physicians and nurses.

The deprescribing intervention will be delivered by final year pharmacy students completing their practice experiences, under the supervision of clinical pharmacists at the LTC facility and clinical pharmacists from Memorial University's Medication Therapy Services (MTS) Clinic. Currently the clinic has a well developed procedure for providing in depth medication therapy reviews for residents of the community, upon referral by their primary care physician. Students will adapt this model of medication review to have a stronger deprescribing focus and be applicable to elderly residents of a LTC facility. The intervention will consist of an in depth medication therapy review with a focus on identifying any medications that may no longer be required or are deemed to be inappropriate or potentially unsafe in the elderly based on currently guidelines/criteria. The students will work closely with members of the resident's care team on a daily basis, as well as the resident and their family, to develop and implement a deprescribing plan.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
67
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
InterventionMedication ReviewIn depth medication review with a focus on deprescribing
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in number of medications taken daily by residents3 and 6 months after receiving intervention

Measured using facility medication logs and patient health records

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Independence in activities of daily living3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using the Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL) obtained from RAI MDS 2.0

Social engagement3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using Index of Social Engagement (ISE) Score obtained from RAI MDS 2.0

All cause mortality rate3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using patient health records

Bowel functionbaseline, 3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using bowel chart data for the 14 days prior to the assessment date

Instance of falls in the last 30 days3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using facility fall report logs

Frequency of emergency room visits, unplanned hospital admission and/or unplanned GP visits3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using patient health records

Cognitive function score3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS) obtained from Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) MDS 2.0

Frequency of pain3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using the Pain Scale obtained from RAI MDS 2.0

Changes in general health3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using the Changes in Health, End-Stage Disease and Signs and Symptoms (CHESS) Score obtained from RAI MDS 2.0

Aggressive behaviour3 and 6 months after receiving the intervention

Measured using the Aggressive Behaviour Scale (ABS) obtained from RAI MDS 2.0

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

St Patrick's Mercy Home

🇨🇦

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

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