A Medication Plan for Safer Medication Treatment in Older Persons

Region Jönköping County

Status

Completed

Conditions

Patient Safety

Treatments

Other: Medication plan

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT06016140

2022-04430-01

Details and patient eligibility

About

Harm from medications is still a concern in an aged population. As medication treatment for older persons many times are complex, a feasibility study can be helpful to support decisions about future evaluation and implementation of an intervention.

In this study, the overall aim is to assess feasibility, acceptability and potential effects of usage of a co-designed medication plan for older persons with medication treatment.

The study will take place in the primary care setting in Sweden, and involve persons 75 years or older using five or more medications on daily basis, physicians at primary care centers and persons supporting the older person in their medication use a home.

During an appointment, the physician and older person will agree on a medication plan, that will be documented in the older person's electronic health record and printed out on paper.

After three month, the potential outcomes of a medication plan will be collected, together with data about feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Two questionnaires will be used, addressing usability and patient safety. Moreover, remote interviews with participants will be performed to address usability and patient safety. Information about the medication plan will be collected from the electronic health record. Data analysis will be done with descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis.

Expected outcomes are an assessment of feasibility and acceptability, and potential outcomes, to support decision on a future evaluation of the medication plan.

Enrollment

30 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Physicians and nurses: regular contact with the older person regarding medications, employment at a primary care center and ability to understand and communicate in Swedish
Older persons: age >75 years old, five or more medications on a regular basis and ability to understand and communicate in Swedish
Next-of-kin: age > 18 years old, regular contact with the older person regarding medications, ability to understand and communicate in Swedish

Exclusion criteria

Older persons: impaired cognitive ability affecting the ability to provide informed consent (Diagnosis code for dementia) and late palliative phase, here defined as estimated life expectancy shorter than six months
Next-of-kin: impaired cognitive ability affecting the ability to provide informed consent