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MedSafer to Support Deprescribing for Residents of Long-Term Care: a Mixed-Methods Study
Giulia-Anna Perri1, Émilie Bortolussi-Courval2, Christopher D Brinton1
1Baycrest, Toronto, ON.
An electronic deprescribing tool, MedSafer, significantly increased medication reduction during quarterly reviews in long-term care homes (LTCH). Physicians found it helpful, suggesting improvements for wider adoption in aged care settings.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Health Informatics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Polypharmacy is common in long-term care homes (LTCH), increasing adverse drug event risks.
- There is a need for effective deprescribing interventions in the LTCH setting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility, applicability, and effectiveness of the MedSafer electronic deprescribing tool.
- To facilitate quarterly medication reviews (QMRs) in an academic LTCH.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods study was conducted on two pilot units.
- Medication deprescribing rates were compared between standard QMRs and MedSafer-assisted QMRs.
- Physician feedback on MedSafer was collected via semi-structured interviews.
Main Results:
- Physicians reported MedSafer as helpful for deprescribing decisions, recommending software enhancements.
- A significantly higher average number of medications were deprescribed per resident with MedSafer (1.1) compared to standard QMRs (0.5).
- The difference in medication reduction was statistically significant (p = .02).
Conclusions:
- MedSafer shows potential to increase deprescribing in LTCHs by identifying inappropriate medications.
- Integration into electronic medical records could improve MedSafer's uptake.
- Further research is needed to assess generalizability in diverse LTCH populations.
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