Insights into designing educational materials for persons living with dementia: a focus group study.

BACKGROUND: Persons living with dementia (PLWD) may experience communication difficulties that impact their ability to process written and pictorial information. Patient-facing education may help promote discontinuation of potentially inappropriate medications for older adults without dementia, but it is unclear how to adapt this approach for PLWD. Our objective was to solicit feedback from PLWD and their care partners to gain insights into the design of PLWD-facing deprescribing intervention materials and PLWD-facing education material more broadly. METHODS: We conducted 3 successive focus groups with PLWD aged ≥ 50 (n = 12) and their care partners (n = 10) between December 2022 and February 2023. Focus groups were recorded and transcripts were analyzed for overarching themes. RESULTS: We identified 5 key themes: [1] Use images and language consistent with how PLWD perceive themselves; [2] Avoid content that might heighten fear or anxiety; [3] Use straightforward delivery with simple language and images; [4] Direct recipients to additional information; make the next step easy; and [5] Deliver material directly to the PLWD. CONCLUSION: PLWD-facing educational material should be addressed directly to PLWD, using plain, non-threatening and accessible language with clean, straightforward formatting.

Navigating the journey as a peer reviewer: a roadmap to success.

Peer review is an essential step in scientific progress and clinical improvement, providing opportunity for research to be critically evaluated and improved by one's colleagues. Pharmacists from all job settings are called to serve as peer reviewers in the ever-growing publication landscape of the profession. Despite challenges to engagement such as time and compensation, peer review provides considerable professional development for both authors and reviewers alike. This article will serve as a practical guide for peer reviewers, discussing best practices as well as the handling of different situations that may arise during the process.

Harm and Medication-Type Impact Agreement with Hypothetical Deprescribing Recommendations: a Vignette-Based Experiment with Older Adults Across Four Countries.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about what factors are important to older adults when deciding whether to agree with a recommendation to deprescribe. OBJECTIVE: To explore the extent to which medication type and rationale for potential discontinuation influence older adults' acceptance of deprescribing. DESIGN: Cross-sectional 2 (drug: lansoprazole - treat indigestion; simvastatin - prevent cardiovascular disease) by 3 (deprescribing rationale: lack of benefit; potential for harm; both) experimental design. PARTICIPANTS: Online panelists aged ≥65 years from Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States INTERVENTIONS: Participants were presented with a hypothetical patient experiencing polypharmacy whose PCP discussed stopping a medication. We randomized participants to receive one of six vignettes. MAIN MEASURES: We measured agreement with deprescribing (6-point Likert scale, "Strongly disagree (1)" and "Strongly agree (6)") for the hypothetical patient as the primary outcome. We also measured participants' personality traits, perceptions of risk and uncertainty, and attitudes towards polypharmacy and deprescribing. KEY RESULTS: Among 5311 participants (93.3% completion rate), the mean (M) agreement with deprescribing for the hypothetical patient was 4.71 (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.67, 4.75). Participants reported higher agreement with stopping lansoprazole (n=2656) (M=4.90, 95% CI: 4.85, 4.95) compared to simvastatin (n=2655) (M=4.53, 95% CI: 4.47, 4.58), P<.001. Participants who received the combination rationale (n=1786) reported higher agreement with deprescribing (M=4.83, 95% CI: 4.76, 4.89) compared to those who received the rationales on lack of benefit (n=1755) (M=4.66, 95% CI: 4.60, 4.73) or potential for harm (n=1770) (M=4.65, 95% CI 4.58, 4.72). In adjusted regression analyses (n=5062), participants with a higher desire to engage in health promotion behaviors (b=0.08, 95% CI 0.02, 0.13) or need for certainty (b=0.12, 95% CI 0.04, 0.20) reported higher agreement with deprescribing. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults across four countries were accepting of deprescribing in the setting of polypharmacy. The medication type and rationale for discontinuation were important factors in the decision-making process. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT04676282, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04676282?term=vordenberg&draw=2&rank=1.

Consumer perceptions of the OTC Coach: A clinical decision support system aimed at improving the safe use of over-the-counter medications.

BACKGROUND: There are more than 300,000 over-the-counter (OTC) medications on the market making it challenging for consumers to select safe and effective products to treat their minor ailments. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify consumer perceptions about the use of a clinical decision support system, OTC Coach, to help them make informed decisions about OTC medications. METHODS: We developed a prototype of the OTC Coach that focused on treating fever in adults. We recruited community members who were 18 years and older via our institutional research website. Participants completed a 30- to 45-minute video interview in which they initially discussed their perceptions and experiences of using OTC medications. We subsequently shared the OTC Coach prototype and sought feedback related to the content and format of the tool. We asked participants to rate their likelihood of using the tool to treat a new symptom (10-point Likert scale, 1 = not at all to 10 = extremely likely) and conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of these findings. RESULTS: Among 20 participants, 11 (55%) were female, 10 (50%) were white, and the mean age was 47.9 years (range 18-81 years). Participants reported that the tool was easy to understand. The questions reported as being extremely important by most participants were allergies (n = 17, 85%), increased risk of bleeding (n = 15, 75%), temperature (n = 12, 60%), and duration of symptoms (n = 12, 60%). Three-fourths of participants (n = 15) selected a score of 7 or higher when asked about their likelihood of using this tool for a new symptom. Concerns that were raised included ensuring that the tool accounted for their personal health history, data storage, and accessibility. CONCLUSION: Consumers were interested in using an electronic tool to determine if their symptoms can be self-treated and, if so, which medications are appropriate.

Older adults' willingness to consider deprescribing when experiencing hyperpolypharmacy.

BACKGROUND: Older adults experiencing hyperpolypharmacy (use of 10 or more medications) are at an increased risk of cognitive impairment and functional decline. Deprescribing, where medications are stopped or tapered, is one strategy to mitigate risks. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of our study was to use a card sorting activity to explore how older adults experiencing hyperpolypharmacy make hypothetical deprescribing decisions. METHODS: We recruited participants using our institutional research recruitment website between February and November 2020. Participant spoke with a research assistant to create a medication list and then completed an interview using card sorting activity to demonstrate how they would make hypothetical decisions about continuing or deprescribing their medications. Data from the card sorting activities and interviews were organized via Excel (Microsoft Corporation). We used the Pharmacy Quality Alliance Medication Therapy Problems Categories Framework to analyze participant's reasons for considering deprescribing. The study was deemed exempt by the institutional review board. RESULTS: Among the 26 participants, 14 (54%) identified as female, 19 (73%) were white, and 24 (92%) reported good or very good health. Participants reported a total of 405 medications (average 16, range 10-30). A total of 19 participants (73%) were interested in deprescribing 94 medications (23%), including stopping 68 medications (72%) and lowering the dose or frequency of 26 medications (28%). Common rationales for wanting to stop a medication included perceived lack of indication (n = 30, 32%), adherence (general preference to not take the medication) (n = 20, 21%), lack of effectiveness (n = 17, 18%), and concerns about safety (n = 14, 15%). We were unable to categorize 13 rationales (14%). CONCLUSION: Most older adults experiencing hyperpolypharmacy were willing to consider deprescribing at least one medication. Future research is needed to identify whether a card sorting medication reflection activity can be used to provoke conversations about deprescribing between patients and primary care providers.

Factors that influence how adults select oral over-the-counter analgesics: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Oral over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics such as acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium are widely used to treat pain. Although generally considered safe, inappropriate use can lead to injury. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore patient attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about the efficacy and potential risks of oral OTC analgesics and to identify factors that adult patients use to make decisions about these medications. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Embase to identify studies published in English between January 2000 and June 2019. We included randomized controlled trials, controlled trials, observational studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses that included OTC analgesics. Authors worked independently during study selection, data extraction, and analysis and then compared their findings and discussed discrepancies until consensus was reached. We evaluated study quality using the Study Quality Assessment Tool and Critical Appraisal of a Cross-Sectional Study. RESULTS: We identified 10,898 unique articles, of which 53 were included in this systematic review. A total of 36 studies included acetaminophen, 25 included nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and 19 did not specify a product. Adults had mixed perceptions about the effectiveness of analgesics. Knowledge of the risks of high doses of acetaminophen (liver toxicity) and NSAIDs (gastrointestinal bleeding or nephrotoxicity) was generally low and declined with less formal education. Individuals with severe or recurrent pain were more likely to exceed the maximum recommended dose of the medication. Although participants reported considering a variety of factors when deciding between different OTC analgesics, there was no clear medication that was generally preferred. Our review was comprehensive; however, the quality of the studies was generally good to fair. CONCLUSION: Adults frequently use oral OTC analgesics and possess a diverse set of beliefs about the efficacy and safety of the products. Pharmacists are well positioned to provide guidance to support the effective and safe use of these products.

Older adults' perceptions of deprescribing chronic benzodiazepines.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of our study was to explore older adults' willingness to stop or lower the dose or frequency their chronic benzodiazepine with the long-term goal of developing a patient-centered intervention to support older adults during the deprescribing process. METHODS: We conducted semistructured interviews with adults aged 60 years and older who reported taking a benzodiazepine for at least 3 months. We recruited participants using our institutional research recruitment website between September and November 2019. Eligible participants completed an interview which was audio-recorded and subsequently transcribed. We identified themes related to older adults' willingness to consider deprescribing their benzodiazepine, if recommended by their prescriber in a hypothetical scenario. Secondary outcomes focused on their use and perceptions of taking a benzodiazepine as well as their experiences attempting to stop the medication. RESULTS: Among the 21 participants, most were female (n = 14, 66.7%), white (n = 20, 95.2%), and reported good or fair health (n = 17, 81.0%). More than three-fourths of participants who reported data (n = 14 of 18, 77.8%) had taken a benzodiazepine for 6 or more years. Participants generally reported that the medication was very effective (n = 16, 76.2%) and adverse effects were infrequent (n = 5, 23.8%). Participants varied widely in their attitudes toward the hypothetical questions about changing their current benzodiazepine. A total of 7 people were open to stopping the medication, 4 were willing to potentially consider it, and 10 were resistant. However, most of the participants were open to the idea of de-escalation (n = 17, 81.0%). CONCLUSION: Many older adults were willing to consider deprescribing a long-term benzodiazepine if it were recommended by their prescriber. Older adults were more open to consider lowering the dose or frequency of the chronic benzodiazepine than stopping the medication. Further research is needed to design a patient-centered intervention tool to support prescribers and older adults in deprescribing conversations about benzodiazepines.

Primary care provider perceptions of an integrated community pharmacy hypertension management program.

BACKGROUND: Trained community pharmacists provided hypertension (HTN) management services in collaboration with a patient-centered medical home (PCMH). OBJECTIVE: To explore primary care provider (PCP) perceptions of a HTN management program in which patients at the PCMH with elevated blood pressure could choose to receive follow-up care with a trained community pharmacist at a chain community pharmacy. METHODS: We conducted informal interviews with 8 PCPs with a range of level of involvement with the collaborative HTN management program to inform the development of a 13-question online survey that was distributed to PCPs at 10 participating Michigan Medicine PCMH clinics. The primary outcome was the percent of PCPs who reported that the program improved their patient's blood pressure. Secondary outcomes included awareness of the program, alternative follow-up strategies, PCP satisfaction, and barriers to using the program. RESULTS: A total of 39 PCPs (30.0%) responded to the survey. More than one-half (n = 21 of 39, 53.9%) of respondents reported that at least 1 of their patients had seen a trained community pharmacist for HTN management services. Almost all of these PCPs (n = 19 of 21, 90.5%) reported being satisfied with the program, and 80.9% (n = 17 of 21) agreed that it helped patients improve their blood pressure control. The most common barriers identified were patients preferring to follow up directly with their PCP (n = 18 of 39, 46.2%), PCPs being more comfortable with patients having a visit with an embedded ambulatory care pharmacist (n = 16 of 39, 41.0%), and a lack of written materials to share with patients about the program (n = 15 of 39, 38.5%). CONCLUSION: PCPs who used the integrated community pharmacy HTN management program were satisfied with the program and thought that it resulted in improved blood pressure control. PCPs may benefit from written information to share with their patients as well as education to increase their awareness of the program and its beneficial effect on patient blood pressure.

Older adults' strategies for obtaining medication refills in hypothetical scenarios in the face of COVID-19 risk.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether older adults would avoid going to the pharmacy (e.g., by restricting medications or requesting delivery) due to the risk of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Our secondary objectives were to determine the types of medications that the older adults are more likely to restrict and to determine the factors that influence these decisions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey experiment in which participants read 6 scenarios, each stating that they had a 3-day supply of a particular medication remaining. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: National Web-based survey distributed to 1457 U.S. adults aged 65 years and older by Dynata from March 25, 2020, to April 1, 2020. OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants reported whether they would go to a pharmacy, have a medication delivered, or restrict the use of each medication. They reported their perceptions and experiences with COVID-19, health risk factors, preferences for more or less care (medical maximizer-minimizer), medication attitudes (beliefs about medicines questionnaire), health literacy, prescription insurance status, and demographics. RESULTS: Most participants (84%) were told to shelter in place, but only 12% reported attempting to obtain extra medications. Participants most often reported that they would go to the pharmacy to obtain each medication (ranging from tramadol 48.9% to insulin 64.9%) except for zolpidem, which they were most likely to restrict (45.4%). Participants who reported comorbidities that increased their risk of COVID-19 were just as likely to go to the pharmacy as those without. In multinomial logistic regression analyses, women and the oldest participants were more likely to seek delivery of medications. Restricting medications was most common for 2 symptom-focused medications (tramadol and zolpidem), and both demographic factors (e.g., gender) and beliefs (e.g., medical maximizing-minimizing preferences) were associated with such decisions. CONCLUSION: Many older adults intend to continue to go to the pharmacy to obtain their medications during a pandemic, even those who have health conditions that further increase their risk for COVID-19.

Characteristics of older adults predict concern about stopping medications.

OBJECTIVE: To predict the association between demographic, psychological, and medication-specific characteristics and the level of concern about stopping medications among older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in which participants read 6 vignettes in which a primary care provider broached the idea of stopping a medication. Medications differed in risk, regulatory status, and indication for discontinuation. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: National Web-based survey distributed to adults aged 65 years or older by Dynata in January 2019. OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants reported their concern about stopping each medication (7-point scale, not at all to extremely), their preferences for more versus less care (Medical Maximizer-Minimizer Scale, MMS), medication attitudes (Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, BMQ), demographic characteristics, and health literacy. We used a generalized estimating equations population-averaged model to examine characteristics associated with concern about stopping medications among all the vignettes and linear regressions to explore levels of concern for individual vignettes. Regressions included the MMS, BMQ, health literacy, and demographics. RESULTS: A total of 942 individuals started the survey, and 823 were included in our analysis. Approximately one-half of participants (range: glyburide, 49.5% to aspirin, 56.0%) reported substantial concern (≥ 4 on a 1-7 scale) about stopping each medication. Characteristics that significantly increased concern about stopping medications included female gender, identifying as black or African American, higher MMS score, and higher BMQ specific score. Higher MMS score predicted increased concern about stopping medications for each of the 6 medications. CONCLUSION: Characteristics of older adults (e.g., medical maximizing-minimizing preferences), as opposed to medication-specific characteristics, predict concern about stopping medications.

Identification of undocumented over-the-counter medications in an academic nephrology clinic.

OBJECTIVES: To explore how accurately over-the-counter (OTC) medications were documented in an academic nephrology clinic and the benefits of using a novel short questionnaire as part of medication reconciliation (MR). METHODS: We developed a 3-item tailored questionnaire with questions about use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which clinical leadership identified as medications of interest. Over the course of 20 days, medical assistants administered the questionnaire to clinic patients immediately after the standard MR. We summarized the rate of inaccurate medication documentation by individual drug and drug class, comparing the standard MR process with the questionnaire. We also calculated diagnostic performance characteristics of the questionnaire. We evaluated the severity of drug-drug interactions between OTC medications discovered using the OTC medication questionnaire and patients' other prescription medications. RESULTS: Nearly 30% (n = 133 of 450) of the participants had at least 1 inaccurately documented OTC medication after the standard MR. The sensitivity and specificity of the standard MR were 79.2% and 93.5%, respectively, for aspirin; 14.5% and 99.5% for NSAIDs; and 80.4% and 97.3% for PPIs. Medication omissions were resolved in the electronic health record approximately two-thirds of the time using the questionnaire. At least 1 drug-drug interaction (DDI) involving active use of an OTC medication was identified in 9.6% of the patients. Of the DDIs, the most common portended effects were increased nephrotoxicity (52.9%), increased bleeding risk (22.9%), and enhanced antiplatelet activity (7.1%). CONCLUSION: Despite the standard MR process, inaccurate documentation of commonly used OTC medications occurred in nearly one-third of outpatients in a nephrology clinic. A brief OTC medication questionnaire may be a scalable and effective strategy to address this problem.

Older adults' understanding of hypothetical community pharmacy quality report cards.

BACKGROUND: Quality ratings for health plans and health services have become increasingly available to patients. OBJECTIVE: We sought to explore older adults' understanding of hypothetical community pharmacy report cards and the information they valued on the report card. METHODS: We recruited participants aged 50 years or older to complete a 59-question telephone survey. The participants reviewed 3 different pairs of report cards, which represented a hypothetical pharmacy, and each pair contained different quality metrics. The participants identified which pharmacy of the pair they preferred, and this served as the primary outcome. We asked the participants to rate the level of importance (4-point unidirectional scale, not at all to very important) of the star ratings, source of information, and quality metrics. We also gathered information about the participants personal experiences with medications and pharmacy services, their self-reported health, health literacy, health numeracy, and demographics. The frequency that the pharmacy with higher quality metrics was selected was reported. We used logistic regression to examine factors associated with correctly identifying the highest quality pharmacy for all 3 sets of report cards. RESULTS: Most participants (n = 152) correctly identified all 3 (n = 120, 79.0%) report cards for pharmacies with higher quality metrics. The source of the information, individual quality metrics, and star ratings were all perceived as moderately or very important by most participants. Ratings of importance were strongly correlated (r, 0.70-1.00). CONCLUSION: More than 75% were able to correctly identify all 3 report cards with higher quality ratings. Most participants believed that the source of the information, the individual quality metrics, and the star rating were all important. Research is needed to explore to what extent patients would use these types of quality metric report cards to make decisions about where to obtain their medications.

Nonprescription Medications for Adults With Allergic Rhinitis.

This JAMA Patient Page describes the types of nonprescription medications for allergic rhinitis and how to use them.

Nonprescription Medications for Eye Allergies.

This JAMA Patient Page describes the types of over-the-counter medications to treat eye allergy symptoms and how to use them.

Oral Nonprescription Pain Medications for Adults.

This JAMA Patient Page describes the common oral nonprescription pain medications acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium.

Topical Nonprescription Pain Medications for Adults.

This JAMA Patient Page describes the types of topical nonprescription pain medications and tips for using them.

Nonprescription Heartburn Medications for Adults.

This JAMA Patient Page describes the types of nonprescription heartburn medications: antacids, histamine 2 blockers, and proton pump inhibitors.

Polypharmacy and Deprescribing.

This JAMA Patient Page describes the problem of polypharmacy and its consequences, and how deprescribing can reduce polypharmacy.