Supporting Nurse Participation in Deprescribing: A Qualitative Study of Long-Term Care Nurses in Alberta, Canada

Long-term care (LTC) nurses are well positioned to support deprescribing given their integral role in resident care. However, there are numerous challenges to nurse involvement in deprescribing and limited research on supports to improve participation.

The objective of this study is to explore nurses' perspectives on deprescribing in LTC and identify supports that may improve their involvement.

In this qualitative descriptive study, progressive group discussions were conducted with 32 nurses at two LTC care facilities in Edmonton, Canada. Participants included registered nurses in clinical and leadership roles, licensed practical nurses and nurse practitioners. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed, deidentified and analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Four themes emerged, primarily reflecting the challenges to nurses effectively participating in deprescribing: (1) variation in deprescribing knowledge, attitudes and experience; (2) discomfort with the go-between role in family communication; (3) workload and time constraints; and (4) lack of practical supports. Suggested supports included point-of-care scripts, accessible on-unit deprescribing resources and incorporation of deprescribing into routine staff education.

Although LTC nurses face challenges in deprescribing participation, they also identified practical supports to improve their involvement within the existing organizational structure. Future research should evaluate the impact of these supports on nurse participation and deprescribing outcomes.