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Intervention protocol: OPtimising thERapy to prevent avoidable hospital Admission in the Multi-morbid elderly (OPERAM): a structured medication review with support of a computerised decision support system

Authors :
Erin K. Crowley
Bastiaan T. G. M. Sallevelt
Corlina J. A. Huibers
Kevin D. Murphy
Marco Spruit
Zhengru Shen
Benoît Boland
Anne Spinewine
Olivia Dalleur
Elisavet Moutzouri
Axel Löwe
Martin Feller
Nathalie Schwab
Luise Adam
Ingeborg Wilting
Wilma Knol
Nicolas Rodondi
Stephen Byrne
Denis O’Mahony
Source :
BMC Health Services Research, Vol 20, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2020)
Publication Year :
2020
Publisher :
BMC, 2020.

Abstract

Abstract Background Several approaches to medication optimisation by identifying drug-related problems in older people have been described. Although some interventions have shown reductions in drug-related problems (DRPs), evidence supporting the effectiveness of medication reviews on clinical and economic outcomes is lacking. Application of the STOPP/START (version 2) explicit screening tool for inappropriate prescribing has decreased inappropriate prescribing and significantly reduced adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and associated healthcare costs in older patients with multi-morbidity and polypharmacy. Therefore, application of STOPP/START criteria during a medication review is likely to be beneficial. Incorporation of explicit screening tools into clinical decision support systems (CDSS) has gained traction as a means to improve both quality and efficiency in the rather time-consuming medication review process. Although CDSS can generate more potential inappropriate medication recommendations, some of these have been shown to be less clinically relevant, resulting in alert fatigue. Moreover, explicit tools such as STOPP/START do not cover all relevant DRPs on an individual patient level. The OPERAM study aims to assess the impact of a structured drug review on the quality of pharmacotherapy in older people with multi-morbidity and polypharmacy. The aim of this paper is to describe the structured, multi-component intervention of the OPERAM trial and compare it with the approach in the comparator arm. Method This paper describes a multi-component intervention, integrating interventions that have demonstrated effectiveness in defining DRPs. The intervention involves a structured history-taking of medication (SHiM), a medication review according to the systemic tool to reduce inappropriate prescribing (STRIP) method, assisted by a clinical decision support system (STRIP Assistant, STRIPA) with integrated STOPP/START criteria (version 2), followed by shared decision-making with both patient and attending physician. The developed method integrates patient input, patient data, involvement from other healthcare professionals and CDSS-assistance into one structured intervention. Discussion The clinical and economical effectiveness of this experimental intervention will be evaluated in a cohort of hospitalised, older patients with multi-morbidity and polypharmacy in the multicentre, randomized controlled OPERAM trial (OPtimising thERapy to prevent Avoidable hospital admissions in the Multi-morbid elderly), which will be completed in the last quarter of 2019. Trial registration Universal Trial Number: U1111-1181-9400 Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02986425 , Registered 08 December 2016. FOPH (Swiss national portal): SNCTP000002183 . Netherlands Trial Register: NTR6012 (07-10-2016).

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
14726963
Volume :
20
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
BMC Health Services Research
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.f8e9eeb0f5494082a5d5b2a0d55afde1
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-5056-3