Statins, Mortality, and Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events Among US Veterans With Chronic Kidney Disease.

Importance: There are limited data for the utility of statins for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and death in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objective: To evaluate the association of statin use with all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among US veterans older than 65 years with CKD stages 3 to 4. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used a target trial emulation design for statin initiation among veterans with moderate CKD (stages 3 or 4) using nested trials with a propensity weighting approach. Linked Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System, Medicare, and Medicaid data were used. This study considered veterans newly diagnosed with moderate CKD between 2005 and 2015 in the VA, with follow-up through December 31, 2017. Veterans were older than 65 years, within 5 years of CKD diagnosis, had no prior ASCVD or statin use, and had at least 1 clinical visit in the year prior to trial baseline. Eligibility criteria were assessed for each nested trial, and Cox proportional hazards models with bootstrapping were run. Analysis was conducted from July 2021 to October 2023. Exposure: Statin initiation vs none. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome was all-cause mortality; secondary outcome was time to first MACE (myocardial infarction, transient ischemic attack, stroke, revascularization, or mortality). Results: Included in the analysis were 14 828 veterans. Mean (SD) age at CKD diagnosis was 76.9 (8.2) years, 14 616 (99%) were men, 10 539 (72%) White, and 2568 (17%) Black. After expanding to person-trials and assessing eligibility at each baseline, there were 151 243 person-trials (14 685 individuals) of nonstatin initiators and 2924 person-trials (2924 individuals) of statin initiators included. Propensity score adjustment via overlap weighting with nonparametric bootstrapping resulted in covariate balance, with mean (SD) follow-up of 3.6 (2.7) years. The hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.91 (95% CI, 0.85-0.97) comparing statin initiators to noninitiators. The hazard ratio for MACE was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.91-1.02). Results remained consistent in prespecified subgroup analyses. Conclusions and Relevance: In this target trial emulation of statin initiation in US veterans older than 65 years with CKD stages 3 to 4 and no prior ASCVD, statin initiation was significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality but not MACE. Results should be confirmed in a randomized clinical trial.

Connecting the disconnected: Leveraging an in-home team member for video visits for older adults.

BACKGROUND: Older adults are interested and able to complete video visits, but often require coaching and practice to succeed. Data show a widening digital divide between older and younger adults using video visits. We conducted a qualitative feasibility study to investigate these gaps via ethnographic methods, including a team member in older participants' homes. METHODS: This ethnographic feasibility study included a virtual medication reconciliation visit with a clinical pharmacist for Veterans aged 65 and older taking 5 or more medications. An in-home study team member joined the participant and recorded observations in structured fieldnotes derived from the Updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and Age-Friendly Health Systems. Fieldnotes included behind-the-scenes facilitators, barriers, and solutions to challenges before and during the visits. We conducted a thematic analysis of these observations and matched themes to implementation solutions from the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change. RESULTS: Twenty participants completed a video visit. Participants were 74 years old (range 68-80) taking 12 daily medications (range 7-24). Challenges occurred in half of the visits and took the in-home team member and/or pharmacist an average of 10 minutes to troubleshoot. Challenges included notable new findings, such as that half of the participants required technology assistance for challenges that would not have been able to be solved by the pharmacist virtually. Furthermore, although many participants had a device or had used video visits before, some did not have a single device with video, audio, Internet, and access to their email username and password. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians may apply these evidence-based implementation solutions to their approach to video visits with older adults, including having a team member join the visit before the clinician, involving tech-savvy family members, ensuring the device works with the visit platform ahead of time, and creating a troubleshooting guide from our common challenges.

Caregiver Support Role in Occupational Therapy Video Telehealth: A Scoping Review.

Caregiver involvement may facilitate patient participation in occupational therapy (OT) video telehealth. However, little is known about the extent to which caregivers participate and what they do. This scoping review aims to, 1) describe the caregiver role supporting patient participation in OT video telehealth, and, 2) identify barriers and facilitators to caregiver involvement. Findings reveal caregiver involvement in a range of OT evaluation and intervention processes, with details on what caregivers did overall lacking. Barriers and facilitators are also described. This study underscores the need for clear and robust descriptions of caregiver participation to increase best practices in video telehealth.

Nurse-led supportive Coordinated Transitional Care (CTraC) program improves care for veterans with serious illness.

BACKGROUND: The Coordinated Transitional Care (CTraC) program is a telephone-based, nurse-driven program shown to decrease readmissions. The aim of this project was to implement and evaluate an adapted version of CTraC, Supportive CTraC, to improve the quality of transitional and end-of-life care for veterans with serious illness. METHODS: We used the Replicating Effective Programs framework to guide adaptation and implementation. An RN nurse case manager (NCM) with experience in geriatrics and palliative care worked closely with inpatient and outpatient care teams to coordinate care. Eligible patients had a life-limiting diagnosis with substantial functional impairment and were not enrolled in hospice. The NCM identified veterans at VA Boston Healthcare System during an acute admission and delivered a protocolized intervention to define care needs and preferences, align care with patient values, optimize discharge plans, and provide ongoing, intensive phone-based case management. To evaluate efficacy, we matched each Supportive CTraC enrollee 1:1 to a contemporary comparison subject by age, risk of death or hospitalization, and discharge diagnosis. We used Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox-Proportional Hazards models to evaluate outcomes. Outcomes included palliative and hospice care use, acute care use, Massachusetts Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment documentation, and survival. RESULTS: The NCM enrolled 104 veterans with high protocol fidelity. Over 1.5 years of follow-up, Supportive CTraC enrollees were 61% more likely to enroll in hospice than the comparison group (n = 57 vs. 39; HR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.07-2.43). While overall acute care use was similar between groups, Supportive CTraC patients had fewer ICU admissions (n = 36 vs. 53; p = 0.005), were more likely to die in hospice (53 vs. 34; p = 0.008), and twice as likely to die at home with hospice (32.0 vs. 15.5; p = 0.02). There was no difference in survival between groups. CONCLUSIONS: A nurse-driven transitional care program for veterans with serious illness is feasible and effective at improving end-of-life outcomes.

A Citation Review of 83 Dissemination and Implementation Theories, Models, or Frameworks Utilized in U.S.-Based Aging Research.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dissemination-implementation.org outlines 110 theories, models, and frameworks (TMFs): we conducted a citation analysis on 83 TMFs, searching Web of Science and PubMed databases. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Search terms were broad and included "aging," "older," "elderly," and "geriatric." We extracted each TMF in identified articles from inception through January 28, 2022. Included articles must have used a TMF in research or quality improvement work directly linked to older adults within the United States. RESULTS: We reviewed 2,681 articles of which 295 articles cited at least one of 56 TMFs. Five TMFs represented 50% of the citations: Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance 1.0, Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, Greenhalgh Diffusion of Innovation in Service Organizations, Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Community-Based Participatory Research, and Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services. TMF application varied and there was a steady increase in TMF citations over time, with a 2- to 3-fold increase in citations in 2020-2021. We identified that only 41% of TMF use was meaningful. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Our results suggest TMF utilization is increasing in aging research, but there is a need to more meaningful utilize TMFs. As the population of older adults continues to grow, there will be increasing demand for effective evidence-based practices and models of care to be quickly and effectively translated into routine care. Use of TMFs is critical to building such evidence and to identifying and evaluating methods to support this translation.

Association of Polypharmacy and Potentially Inappropriate Medications With Frailty Among Older Adults With Blood Cancers.

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are common among older adults with blood cancers, but their association with frailty and how to manage them optimally remain unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 2015 to 2019, patients aged ≥75 years presenting for initial oncology consult underwent screening geriatric assessment. Patients were determined to be robust, prefrail, or frail via deficit accumulation and phenotypic approaches. We quantified each patient's total number of medications and PIMs using the Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS) and a scale we generated using the NCCN Medications of Concern called the Geriatric Oncology Potentially Inappropriate Medications (GO-PIM) scale. We assessed cross-sectional associations of PIMs with frailty in multivariable regression models adjusting for age, gender, and comorbidity. RESULTS: Of 785 patients assessed, 603 (77%) were taking ≥5 medications and 421 (54%) were taking ≥8 medications; 201 (25%) were taking at least 1 PIM based on the ARS and 343 (44%) at least 1 PIM based on the GO-PIM scale. Among the 468 (60%) patients on active cancer treatment, taking ≥8 medications was associated with frailty (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.82; 95% CI, 1.92-4.17). With each additional medication, the odds of being prefrail or frail increased 8% (aOR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04-1.12). With each 1-point increase on the ARS, the odds of being prefrail or frail increased 19% (aOR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.03-1.39); with each additional PIM based on the GO-PIM scale, the odds increased 65% (aOR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.34-2.04). CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy and PIMs are prevalent among older patients with blood cancers; taking ≥8 medications is strongly associated with frailty. These data suggest careful medication reconciliation for this population may be helpful, and deprescribing when possible is high-yield, especially for PIMs on the GO-PIM scale.

Medication Optimization for New Initiators of Empagliflozin for Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are recommended agents for the treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Additionally, SGLT2 inhibitors lower blood glucose, decrease blood pressure, and can be useful for volume management. For these reasons, we hypothesized that initiating SGLT2 inhibitor therapy may be associated with deprescribing of other medications in patients with DKD. We compared medication lists at SGLT2 inhibitor initiation and 6 months post-initiation in 21 patients with DKD who were followed in our interprofessional outpatient nephrology clinic to evaluate deprescribing patterns in diabetes, hypertension, and diuretic medications. Six months of SGLT2 inhibitor therapy in patients with DKD was associated with deprescribing of high-risk diabetes agents, antihypertensives, and loop diuretics with minimal changes in A1C and fewer adverse events.

Three Sides to the Story: Adherence Trajectories During the First Year of SGLT2 Inhibitor Therapy Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to understand the factors associated with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) adherence and longitudinal adherence trajectories in older adults with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Using Medicare claims data (April 2013-December 2017), we identified 83,675 new SGLT2i users ≥66 years old with type 2 diabetes. We measured SGLT2i adherence as the proportion of days covered (PDC) during the first year of SGLT2i therapy. We used linear regression to assess the association between baseline covariates and PDC. Then we used group-based trajectory modeling to identify distinct longitudinal SGLT2i adherence groups and used a multivariable logistic regression model to examine the association between baseline covariates and membership in these adherence groups. RESULTS: Unadjusted mean PDC was 63%. Previous adherence to statins had the strongest positive association with PDC (regression coefficient 6.00% [95% CI 5.50, 6.50]), whereas female sex (-5.51% [-6.02, -5.00]), and Black race/ethnicity (-5.06% [-6.03, -4.09]) had the strongest negative association. We identified three adherence trajectory groups: low (23% of patients, mean PDC 17%), moderate (32%, mean PDC 50%), and high (45%, mean PDC 96%) adherence. More patients in the high adherence group were previously adherent to statins (odds ratio 1.43 [95% CI 1.39, 1.48]), and more women (1.28 [1.23, 1.32]) and Black patients (1.31 [1.23, 1.40]) were in the low adherence group. CONCLUSIONS: In a large population of older patients with type 2 diabetes, 45% were highly adherent during the first year of SGLT2i treatment. Female sex and Black race/ethnicity were most strongly associated with low adherence.

Association of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors With Fracture Risk in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

Importance: Whether sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) are associated with an increased risk of fractures in older adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) outside of clinical trials remains unknown. Objective: To examine the association of incident fracture among older adults with T2D with initiating an SGLT-2i compared with initiating a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) or a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA). Design, Setting, and Participants: This is a population-based, new-user cohort study including older adults (aged ≥65 years) with T2D enrolled in Medicare fee-for-service from April 2013 to December 2017. Data analysis was performed from October 2020 to April 2021. Exposures: New users of an SGLT-2i, DPP-4i, or GLP-1RA without a previous fracture were matched in a 1:1:1 ratio using 3-way propensity score matching. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was a composite end point of nontraumatic pelvic fracture, hip fracture requiring surgery, or humerus, radius, or ulna fracture requiring intervention within 30 days. After 3-way 1:1:1 propensity score matching, multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to generate hazard ratios (HRs) for SGLT-2i compared with DPP-4i and GLP-1RA and Kaplan-Meier curves to visualize fracture risk over time across groups. Results: Of 466 933 new initiators of study drugs, 62 454 patients were new SGLT-2i users. After 3-way matching, 45 889 (73%) new SGLT-2i users were matched to new users of DPP-4i and GLP-1RA, yielding a cohort of 137 667 patients (mean [SD] age, 72 [5] years; 64 126 men [47%]) matched 1:1:1 for analyses. There was no difference in the risk of fracture in SGLT-2i users compared with DPP-4i users (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.73-1.11) or GLP-1RA users (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.80-1.25). Results were consistent across categories of sex, frailty (nonfrail, prefrail, and frail), age (<75 and ≥75 years), and insulin use (baseline users and nonusers). Conclusions and Relevance: In this nationwide Medicare cohort, initiating an SGLT-2i was not associated with an increased risk of fracture in older adults with T2D compared with initiating a DPP-4i or GLP-1RA, with consistent results across categories of frailty, age, and insulin use. These findings add to the evidence base evaluating the potential risks associated with SGLT-2i use for older adults outside of randomized clinical trials.

Trajectories of Frailty in the 5 Years Prior to Death Among U.S. Veterans Born 1927-1934.

BACKGROUND: Electronic frailty indices (eFIs) are increasingly used to identify patients at risk for morbidity and mortality. Whether eFIs capture the spectrum of frailty change, including decline, stability, and improvement, is unknown. METHODS: In a nationwide retrospective birth cohort of U.S. Veterans, a validated eFI, including 31 health deficits, was calculated annually using medical record and insurance claims data (2002-2012). K-means clustering was used to assign patients into frailty trajectories measured 5 years prior to death. RESULTS: There were 214 250 veterans born between 1927 and 1934 (mean [SD] age at death = 79.4 [2.8] years, 99.2% male, 90.3% White) with an annual eFI in the 5 years before death. Nine frailty trajectories were identified. Those starting at nonfrail or prefrail had 2 stable trajectories (nonfrail to prefrail, n = 29 786 and stable prefrail, n = 28 499) and 2 rapidly increasing trajectories (prefrail to moderately frail, n = 28 244 and prefrail to severely frail, n = 22 596). Those who were mildly frail at baseline included 1 gradually increasing trajectory (mildly to moderately frail, n = 33 806) and 1 rapidly increasing trajectory (mildly to severely frail, n = 15 253). Trajectories that started at moderately or severely frail included 2 gradually increasing trajectories (moderately to severely frail, n = 27 662 and progressing severely frail, n = 14 478) and 1 recovering trajectory (moderately frail to mildly frail, n = 13 926). CONCLUSIONS: Nine frailty trajectories, including 1 recovering trajectory, were identified in this cohort of older U.S. Veterans. Future work is needed to understand whether prevention and treatment strategies can improve frailty trajectories and contribute to compression of morbidity toward the end of life.

Pharmacologic Considerations for Opioid Use in Kidney Disease.

Individuals with kidney disease have a high prevalence of chronic noncancer pain. Although opioids are not a recommended treatment option for chronic noncancer pain in the general population, a higher percentage of individuals with kidney disease receive opioid prescriptions for chronic pain. Individuals with kidney disease have an increased risk for opioid adverse events because of changes related to kidney disease progression, normative aging, and the pharmacology of opioid medications. Despite the frequent prescription of opioids for chronic noncancer pain among those with kidney disease, there are no guidelines for opioid management in this population. This article reviews the pharmacologic challenges of opioid use in relation to the physiologic changes occurring in kidney disease and normative aging. We highlight how understanding opioid pharmacology and human physiology can support safe practices of opioid management in patients with kidney disease who require opioids for chronic noncancer pain.

Updating and Validating the U.S. Veterans Affairs Frailty Index: Transitioning From ICD-9 to ICD-10.

BACKGROUND: The Veterans Affairs Frailty Index (VA-FI) is an electronic frailty index developed to measure frailty using administrative claims and electronic health records data in Veterans. An update to ICD-10 coding is needed to enable contemporary measurement of frailty. METHOD: International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision (ICD-9) codes from the original VA-FI were mapped to ICD-10 first using the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) General Equivalence Mappings. The resulting ICD-10 codes were reviewed by 2 geriatricians. Using a national cohort of Veterans aged 65 years and older, the prevalence of deficits contributing to the VA-FI and associations between the VA-FI and mortality over years 2012-2018 were examined. RESULTS: The updated VA-FI-10 includes 6422 codes representing 31 health deficits. Annual cohorts defined on October 1 of each year included 2 266 191 to 2 428 115 Veterans, for which the mean age was 76 years, 97%-98% were male, 78%-79% were White, and the mean VA-FI was 0.20-0.22. The VA-FI-10 deficits showed stability before and after the transition to ICD-10 in 2015, and maintained strong associations with mortality. Patients classified as frail (VA-FI > 0.2) consistently had a hazard of death more than 2 times higher than nonfrail patients (VA-FI ≤ 0.1). Distributions of frailty and associations with mortality varied with and without linkage to CMS data and with different assessment periods for capturing deficits. CONCLUSIONS: The updated VA-FI-10 maintains content validity, stability, and predictive validity for mortality in a contemporary cohort of Veterans aged 65 years and older, and may be applied to ICD-9 and ICD-10 claims data to measure frailty.

A blueprint for success: Using an implementation framework to create a medication history technician pilot program.

BACKGROUND: Medication discrepancies at transitions of care may compromise patient safety. Trained pharmacy technicians can reduce harmful medication discrepancies at transitions of care by collecting medication histories. OBJECTIVE: We describe how to create a program integrating medication history technicians (MHTs) into the hospital discharge process using implementation science. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: We created our MHT program at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. PRACTICE INNOVATION: We used an evidence-based framework and implementation science to tailor our MHT program to meet local stakeholder needs. EVALUATION METHODS: We completed a literature review and review of current discharge practices. Then, we completed a workflow pilot, a needs assessment, and semistructured interviews with pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. We integrated these findings to identify barriers of MHT program implementation. Finally, we mapped these barriers to implementation strategies to create an MHT program implementation blueprint. RESULTS: The literature review and review of current discharge practices revealed opportunities for our program to reduce medication discrepancies. We applied these findings to our proof-of-concept workflow pilot, which reduced medication discrepancy rates at discharge. When we explored barriers in the needs assessment, we learned that 4 of 6 pharmacy technicians had some training conducting medication histories, but 5 of 6 requested additional training for the new MHT role. We explored these and additional barriers in semistructured interviews. Four themes emerged: elements of pharmacy technician training, challenges to implementation, program logistics and workflow, and pharmacy technician self-efficacy. We mapped barriers to implementation strategies to create an MHT program implementation blueprint, including developing pharmacy technician training materials, modifying our workflow, creating program evaluation materials, and strategizing how to overcome anticipated and current implementation barriers. CONCLUSIONS: We used implementation science to create a tailored MHT program. Others may adapt our implementation blueprint to fit local stakeholder needs.

There's no place like home-Integrating a pharmacist into the hospital-in-home model.

BACKGROUND: Hospital-in-home (HIH) is an innovative model that provides hospital-level care in a patient's home. Pharmacists can enhance the HIH model through medication reconciliation and medication optimization. OBJECTIVES: To integrate a clinical pharmacist into the HIH model and to conduct a formative evaluation of pharmacist contributions, including medication discrepancy resolution, cost savings, and cost avoidance. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: This is a prospective quality improvement study conducted at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System. PRACTICE INNOVATION: We integrated a pharmacist into the HIH model. The pharmacist conducted a medication reconciliation at hospital discharge and after discharge through home video telehealth and provided longitudinal medication management. EVALUATION METHODS: We adapted the PRECEDE-PROCEED model to guide program implementation. We conducted a formative evaluation using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework, evaluating the reach, efficacy, adoption, and implementation of the pharmacist in the HIH team. We calculated cost savings associated with pharmacist-managed home intravenous (IV) therapy, cost avoidance from deprescribing, and cost avoidance from earlier hospital discharge. RESULTS: The HIH program enrolled 102 patients from May 2019 to March 2020. The pharmacist completed 99 (97%) discharge and 95 (93%) postdischarge medication reconciliations, most of which 71 (75%) were conducted using home video telehealth. The pharmacist identified and resolved a total of 453 medication discrepancies: 181 (40%) at discharge and 272 (60%) during postdischarge medication reconciliation. A total of 84 (19%) discrepancies were considered high risk. The pharmacist managed 104 days of home IV therapy, resulting in a cost savings of approximately $17,000. The cost avoided by identifying and deprescribing 145 inappropriate medications was approximately $51,000. The cost avoided by earlier hospital discharge was $1.2 million. CONCLUSION: Integrating a pharmacist into the HIH model enables the detection and resolution of medication discrepancies. Cost savings from medication deprescribing, cost avoided from pharmacist-managed home IV therapy, and cost avoided from early hospital discharge totaled $1268 million.

A Pilot Study Embedding Clinical Pharmacists Within an Interprofessional Nephrology Clinic for the Initiation and Monitoring of Empagliflozin in Diabetic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors as the second medication to be started, after metformin, for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors may cause volume, blood pressure, and electrolyte disturbances; consequently, frequent monitoring and adjustments to other diabetes, blood pressure, and/or diuretic medications may be necessary. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of an interprofessional clinic model partnering nephrologists and pharmacists for the initiation and monitoring of SGLT2 inhibitors. METHODS: A clinical pharmacist was embedded within the nephrology clinic to provide patient education, telephone follow-up, and to work collaboratively with the nephrologists. Diabetes, hypertension, and diuretic regimens were adjusted as needed after empagliflozin initiation. Diabetes regimens were adjusted to adhere to the 2019 ADA guidelines that promote agents with CKD and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease benefit. RESULTS: Fourteen patients were initiated on empagliflozin during the study period. Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) improved (mean % change -12% ± 61%); the mean percentage change was greater in patients with a higher baseline UACR. The mean change in hemoglobin A1c was 0.3% ± 0.6%. Common adverse reactions were observed and improved over time; no serious adverse drug reactions occurred. Finally, empagliflozin initiation necessitated adjustments to diabetes, hypertension, and diuretic regimens in almost all patients (n = 13, 93%). CONCLUSION: The implementation of an innovative, interprofessional care model within a nephrology clinic for the initiation and monitoring of empagliflozin in patients with DKD demonstrated clinical benefit with minimal safety concerns.

Differential Diagnoses and Clinical Implications of Medication Nonadherence in Older Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Review.

Older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often have many comorbidities, which requires them to take multiple medications. As the number of daily medications prescribed increases, the risk for polypharmacy increases. Understanding and improving medication adherence in this patient population is vital to avoiding the drug-related adverse events of polypharmacy. The primary objective of this review is to summarize the existing literature and to understand the factors leading to medication nonadherence in older patients with CKD. In this review, we discuss the prevalence of polypharmacy, the current lack of consensus on the incidence of medication nonadherence, the heterogeneity of assessing medication adherence, and the most common differential diagnoses for medication nonadherence in this population. Specifically, the most common differential diagnoses for medication nonadherence in older adults with CKD are (1) medication complexity; (2) cognitive impairment; (3) low health literacy; and (4) systems-based barriers. We provide tailored strategies to address these differential diagnoses and subsequently improve medication adherence. The clinical implications include deprescribing to decrease medication complexity and polypharmacy, utilizing a team-based approach to identify and support patients with cognitive impairment, enriching communication between health providers and patients with low health literacy, and improving health care access to address systems-based barriers. Further research is needed to determine the effects of addressing these differential diagnoses and medication adherence in older adults with CKD.

Rapid Integration of Home Telehealth Visits Amidst COVID-19: What Do Older Adults Need to Succeed?

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to identify and address patient-perceived barriers to integrating home telehealth visits. DESIGN: We used an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to conduct patient needs assessments, a home telehealth pilot, and formative evaluation of the pilot. SETTING: Veterans Affairs geriatrics-renal clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with scheduled clinic visits from October 2019 to April 2020. MEASUREMENTS: We conducted an in-person needs assessment and telephone postvisit interviews. RESULTS: Through 50 needs assessments, we identified patient-perceived barriers in interest, access to care, access to technology, and confidence. A total of 34 (68%) patients were interested in completing a home telehealth visit, but fewer (32 (64%)) had access to the necessary technology or were confident (21 (42%)) that they could participate. We categorized patients into four phenotypes based on their interest and capability to complete a home telehealth visit: interested and capable, interested and incapable, uninterested and capable, and uninterested and incapable. These phenotypes allowed us to create trainings to overcome patient-perceived barriers. We completed 32 home telehealth visits and 12 postvisit interviews. Our formative evaluation showed that our pilot was successful in addressing many patient-perceived barriers. All interviewees reported that the home telehealth visits improved their well-being. Home telehealth visits saved participants an average of 166 minutes of commute time. Five participants borrowed a device from a family member, and five visits were finished via telephone. All participants successfully completed a home telehealth visit. CONCLUSIONS: We identified patient-perceived barriers to home telehealth visits and classified patients into four phenotypes based on these barriers. Using principles of implementation science, our home telehealth pilot addressed these barriers, and all patients successfully completed a visit. Future study is needed to understand methods to deploy larger-scale efforts to integrate home telehealth visits into the care of older adults.

Decision Algorithm for Prescribing SGLT2 Inhibitors and GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Diabetic kidney disease and its comorbid conditions, including atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, diabetes, and obesity, are interconnected conditions that compound the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular mortality, and exponentiate health care costs. Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) are novel diabetes medications that prevent cardiovascular events and kidney failure. Clinical trials exploring the cardiovascular and kidney outcomes of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA have fundamentally shifted the treatment paradigm of diabetes. Clinical guidelines for diabetes management recommend a more holistic approach beyond glycemic control and emphasize heart and kidney protection of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA. However, the adoption of prescribing SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA for patients with diabetes and high cardiovascular and kidney risk has been slow. In this review, we provide a decision-making tool to help clinicians determine when to consider SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA for heart and kidney protection. First, we discuss a comprehensive risk assessment for patients with diabetic kidney disease. We compare the effectiveness of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA for different risk categories. Then, we present a decision algorithm using cardiovascular and kidney failure risk stratification and the strength of current evidence for the use of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA. Lastly, we review the adverse effects of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA and propose mitigation strategies.