Hospital physicians' and older patients' agreement with individualised STOPP/START-based medication optimisation recommendations in a clinical trial setting.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the agreement of hospital physicians and older patients with individualised STOPP/START-based medication optimisation recommendations from a pharmacotherapy team. METHODS: This study was embedded within a large European, multicentre, cluster randomised controlled trial examining the effect of a structured medication review on drug-related hospital admissions in multimorbid (≥ 3 chronic conditions) older people (≥ 70 years) with polypharmacy (≥ 5 chronic medications), called OPERAM. Data from the Dutch intervention arm of this trial were used for this study. Medication review was performed jointly by a physician and pharmacist (i.e. pharmacotherapy team) supported by a Clinical Decision Support System with integrated STOPP/START criteria. Individualised STOPP/START-based medication optimisation recommendations were discussed with patients and attending hospital physicians. RESULTS: 139 patients were included, mean (SD) age 78.3 (5.1) years, 47% male and median (IQR) number of medications at admission 11 (9-14). In total, 371 recommendations were discussed with patients and physicians, overall agreement was 61.6% for STOPP and 60.7% for START recommendations. Highest agreement was found for initiation of osteoporosis agents and discontinuation of proton pump inhibitors (both 74%). Factors associated with higher agreement in multivariate analysis were: female gender (+ 17.1% [3.7; 30.4]), ≥ 1 falls in the past year (+ 15.0% [1.5; 28.5]) and renal impairment i.e. eGFR 30-50 ml/min/1.73 m2; (+ 18.0% [2.0; 34.0]). The main reason for disagreement (40%) was patients' reluctance to discontinue or initiate medication. CONCLUSION: Better patient and physician education regarding the benefit/risk balance of pharmacotherapy, in addition to more precise and up-to-date medical records to avoid irrelevant recommendations, will likely result in higher adherence with future pharmacotherapy optimisation recommendations. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial Registration Number NCT02986425.

Identification of behaviour change techniques in deprescribing interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: Deprescribing interventions safely and effectively optimize medication use in older people. However, questions remain about which components of interventions are key to effectively reduce inappropriate medication use. This systematic review examines the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) of deprescribing interventions and summarizes intervention effectiveness on medication use and inappropriate prescribing. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Academic Search Complete and grey literature were searched for relevant literature. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included if they reported on interventions in people aged ≥65 years. The BCT taxonomy was used to identify BCTs frequently observed in deprescribing interventions. Effectiveness of interventions on inappropriate medication use was summarized in meta-analyses. Medication appropriateness was assessed in accordance with STOPP criteria, Beers' criteria and national or local guidelines. Between-study heterogeneity was evaluated by I-squared and Chi-squared statistics. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Tool for randomized controlled studies. RESULTS: Of the 1561 records identified, 25 studies were included in the review. Deprescribing interventions were effective in reducing number of drugs and inappropriate prescribing, but a large heterogeneity in effects was observed. BCT clusters including goals and planning; social support; shaping knowledge; natural consequences; comparison of behaviour; comparison of outcomes; regulation; antecedents; and identity had a positive effect on the effectiveness of interventions. CONCLUSIONS: In general, deprescribing interventions effectively reduce medication use and inappropriate prescribing in older people. Successful deprescribing is facilitated by the combination of BCTs involving a range of intervention components.

The contribution of posterior circulation to memory function during the intracarotid amobarbital procedure.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of posterior circulation to memory function by comparing memory scores between patients with and without a foetal-type posterior cerebral artery (FTP) during the intracarotid amobarbital procedure (IAP) in epilepsy patients. Patients undergoing bilateral IAP between January 2004 and January 2010 were retrospectively included. Pre-test angiograms were assessed for the presence of a FTP. Memory function scores (% correct) after right and left injections were obtained. Functional significance of FTP was affirmed by relative occipital versus parietal EEG slow-wave increase during IAP. Memory and EEG scores were compared between patients with and without FTP (Mann-Whitney U test). A total of 106 patients were included, 73 with posterior cerebral arteries (PCA) without FTP ('non-FTP'), 28 patients with unilateral FTP and 5 with a bilateral FTP. Memory scores were lower when amytal was injected to the hemisphere contralateral to the presumed seizure focus (on the right decreasing from 98.3 to 59.1, and on the left decreasing from 89.1 to 72.4; p < 0.001). When IAP was performed on the side of FTP memory scores were significantly lower (70.8) compared to non-FTP (82.0; p = 0.02). Relative occipital EEG changes were 0.44 for FTP cases and 0.36 for non-FTP patients (p = 0.01). A relationship between vasculature and brain function was demonstrated by lower memory scores and more slow-wave activity on occipital EEG during IAP in patients with foetal-type PCA compared to patients with non-FTP. This suggests an important contribution of brain areas supplied by the PCA to memory function.

The effect of the introduction of the ERAS protocol in laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine whether the introduction of the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocol in laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer offers additional advantages concerning postoperative hospital stay compared to laparoscopy and conventional care. METHODS: A consecutive series of patients that underwent a laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer in a single institution between January 2004 and July 2009 were retrospectively included in this study. The ERAS protocol was introduced in this cohort in January 2007. The study cohort was divided in a conventional care group and an ERAS group. Both groups were compared for primary and secondary outcome measures. The primary outcome measure was postoperative length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients were included: 43 in the ERAS group and 33 in the conventional care (control) group. Median hospital stay was 7 days (range 2-83 days) in the ERAS group and 10 days (range 4-74 days) in the control group (p = 0.04). Return of bowel function occurred on days 2 and 3 respectively (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between both groups concerning postoperative complications, readmission rate and reoperations. Thirty-day mortality was absent in both groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the introduction of the ERAS protocol in laparoscopic TME leads to a further reduction in length of hospital stay.