Development of a quick guide for assessment of the most frequently used renal risk medication in Danish hospitals and primary care.

Due to changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, patients with impaired renal function suffer an increased risk of suboptimal and potentially harmful medication treatment. This necessitates careful consideration of medications affected by impaired renal function when performing medication reviews. The aim of this study was to develop a quick guide (a list of recommendations) for assessing renal risk medications in medication reviews led by hospital pharmacists. The list was based on the 100 most frequently used medications in Danish hospitals and primary care. After combining the 200 records, 29 duplicates were excluded resulting in a pool of 171 medications. Assessment by two clinical pharmacists led to the exclusion of 121 medications. Of the remaining 50 medications, seven were discussed among the two pharmacists, and two of these were also in the research group to reach a consensus. The renal risk quick guide comprised 50 medications. The most prevalent medications on the list were from Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (ATC)-group N, C and L. Recommendations from two databases were included in the quick guide in order to provide clinical pharmacists with existing, updated evidence on medication use in impaired renal function. The next step is to test the feasibility of the quick guide in daily practice when performing medication reviews.

Challenges related to transitioning from hospital to temporary care at a skilled nursing facility: a descriptive study.

PURPOSE: With decreasing number of hospital beds, more citizens are discharged to temporary care at skilled nursing facilities, requiring increasingly complex care in a non-hospital setting. We mapped challenges related to the transition of citizens from hospital to temporary care at a skilled nursing facility in relation to medication management, responsibility of medical treatment, and communication. METHODS: Descriptive study of citizens discharged from Odense University Hospital to temporary care from May 2022 to March 2023. RESULTS: We included 209 citizens (53% women, median age 81 years). Most citizens (97%; n = 109/112) had their medication changed during hospital admission. Citizens used a median of eight medications, including risk medications (96%, n = 108). Medication-related challenges occurred for 37% (n = 77) of citizens and most often concerned missing alignment of medication records. Half of citizens (47%, n = 99) moved into temporary care with all medication needed for further dispensing. Nurses conducted in median three telephone calls (interquartile range [IQR 1-4]) and sent in median two correspondences (IQR 1-3) per citizen within the first 5 days. Nurses most often called the hospital physician (41% of telephone calls, n = 265/643) and sent correspondences to the general practitioner (55% of correspondences, n = 257/469). For 31% (n = 29/95) of citizens requiring action from nursing staff, this could have been avoided if the nurses had had access to the discharge letter. CONCLUSION: We identified several challenges related to the transition of patients from hospital to temporary care, most often related to medication. A third of actions related to medication management were considered avoidable with improved practices around communication.

Inappropriate prescribing in patients with kidney disease: A rapid review of prevalence, associated clinical outcomes and impact of interventions.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and polypharmacy is increasing and has amplified the importance of examining inappropriate prescribing (IP) in CKD. This review focuses on the latest research regarding the prevalence of IP in CKD and the related adverse clinical effects and explores new interventions against IP. METHOD: A literature search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library searching articles published between June 2016 and March 2022. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies were included. An IP prevalence of 12.6% to 96% and 0.3% to 66% was reported in hospital and outpatient settings, respectively. In nonhospital settings, the prevalence of IP varied between 3.9% and 60%. IP was associated with higher risk of hospitalisation (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.17-1.81), higher bleeding rate (HR 2.34, 95% CI 1.32 to 3.37) and higher risk of all-cause mortality (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.13). Three studies reported the impact of interventions on IP. CONCLUSION: This review highlights widespread IP in CKD patients across healthcare settings, with varying prevalence rates. IP is substantially linked to adverse outcomes in patients. While limited interventions show promise, urgent research is needed to develop effective strategies addressing IP and improving CKD patient care.

Attitudes towards deprescribing in geriatric psychiatry: A survey among older psychiatric outpatients.

Understanding the patient perspective is a significant part of the deprescribing process. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of older patients with psychiatric disorders towards deprescribing. A total of 72 of psychiatric outpatients (68% women; median age 76 years) completed the validated Danish version of the revised Patients' Attitudes Towards Deprescribing (rPATD) questionnaire. Patients used a median of eight medications (interquartile range 6-12), with 88%, 49% and 24% using antidepressants, antipsychotics and anxiolytics, respectively. Fifty-one percent of patients reported an intrinsic desire to stop one of their medications, while 92% would be willing to stop one on their physician's advice. Seventy-five percent of patients would be worried about missing out on future benefits following deprescribing and 37% had previous bad deprescribing experiences. Use of ≥8 regular medications was associated with more concerns about stopping medication and greater perceived burden of using medication, while use of antipsychotics was not associated with any differences in rPATD factor scores. It is crucial for health care professionals to be aware of patients' specific concerns and past experiences to promote a patient-centred deprescribing approach that takes into account the needs and preferences of older patients with psychiatric disorders.

Multidisciplinary telephone conferences about medication therapy after discharge of older inpatients: a feasibility study.

Background Studies have shown poor post-discharge implementation by the general practitioner of changes made to patients' medication during admission. Objective To assess the feasibility of conducting telephone conferences delivering information about changes in older patients' medications from hospital to general practitioners. Setting Two departments of geriatric medicine in a Danish routine healthcare setting. Method Older polypharmacy patients (≥ 65 years and ≥ 5 prescriptions) consecutively admitted were eligible for inclusion. Telephone conferences based on a review of these patient's medication therapy during hospital stay were arranged between a pharmacist and a geriatrician from the hospital, and a general practitioner. Interviews were conducted with pharmacists, geriatricians, and general practitioners about their perspectives on the feasibility of telephone conferences. Interviews were analyzed using systematic text condensation. Main outcome measure The proportion of telephone conferences conducted and perspectives on the feasibility of the study. Results A total of 113 patients were included and 82 patients (75%) were eligible for telephone conferences. A total of 40 (49%) telephone conferences were conducted. The main reasons for conferences not being conducted were general practitioners not wanting to participate or not returning the calls from the pharmacists. Three themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: considerations on planning and running the project, Barriers, facilitators, and implications of the telephone conference, and Actual and desirable cross-sectorial communication. Conclusion Telephone conferences were only possible for half of the patients. The participating general practitioners, pharmacists and geriatricians expressed varied benefit and agreed that telephone conferences were mainly relevant for complex patients.

Effect of an In-Hospital Multifaceted Clinical Pharmacist Intervention on the Risk of Readmission: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Hospital readmissions are common among patients receiving multiple medications, with considerable costs to the patients and society. Objective: To determine whether a multifaceted pharmacist intervention based on medication review, patient interview, and follow-up can reduce the number of readmissions and emergency department (ED) visits. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical multicenter study (Odense Pharmacist Trial Investigating Medication Interventions at Sector Transfer [OPTIMIST]) enrolled patients from September 1, 2013, through April 23, 2015, with a follow-up of 6 months completed on October 31, 2015. Consecutive medical patients in an acute admission ward who were 18 years or older and who used 5 or more medications were invited to participate. Of 1873 patients invited to participate, 1499 (80.0%) accepted. The medication review and patient interview were conducted in the hospital and followed up in collaboration with primary care. Analysis was based on intention to treat. Interventions: The patients were randomized into 3 groups receiving usual care (no intervention), a basic intervention (medication review), and an extended intervention (medication review, 3 motivational interviews, and follow-up with the primary care physician, pharmacy, and nursing home). Main Outcomes and Measures: The prespecified primary outcomes were readmission within 30 or 180 days and ED visits within 180 days. The primary composite end point was readmission or an ED visit within 180 days. Secondary outcomes were drug-related readmissions within 30 and 180 days after inclusion, and all-cause mortality and drug-related mortality. Results: A total of 1467 patients (679 men [46.3%] and 788 women [53.7%]; median age, 72 years; interquartile range, 63-80 years) were part of the primary analysis, including 498 randomized to usual care, 493 randomized to the basic intervention, and 476 randomized to the extended intervention. The extended intervention had a significant effect on the numbers of patients who were readmitted within 30 days (hazard ratio [HR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.46-0.84) or within 180 days (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.62-0.90) after inclusion and on the number of patients who experienced the primary composite end point (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.64-0.93). The study showed a nonsignificant reduction in drug-related readmissions within 30 days (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.39-1.09) and within 180 days (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.59-1.08) after inclusion and in deaths (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.22-3.11). The number needed to treat to achieve the primary composite outcome for the extended intervention (vs usual care) was 12. Conclusions and Relevance: A multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention may reduce the number of ED visits and hospital readmissions. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03079375.

Process- and patient-reported outcomes of a multifaceted medication adherence intervention for hypertensive patients in secondary care.

BACKGROUND: Adherence to antihypertensive medications is suboptimal. Hospital pharmacist interventions including motivational interviewing (MI) might assist in improving adherence in patients with hypertension. For an intervention to be useful, it is important to have tools that can easily identify potential adherence problems. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate process outcomes and patient- and pharmacist-reported outcomes of a pharmacist adherence intervention for hypertensive patients treated in hospital outpatient clinics. Secondly, to determine the agreement between two different adherence metrics: an adherence questionnaire used in the intervention and a prescription-based measure. METHODS: The development of the intervention was based on adherence and behavioral theories and evidence of effective interventions. This included a focused medication review, a patient interview, and follow-up telephone calls. Two tools were used to identify adherence problems: The Drug Adherence Work-up (DRAW) tool and an adherence questionnaire. Process data included drug-related problems (DRPs) with recommendations to the physicians, medication- and lifestyle problems identified at the patient interview, actions taken and time spent on the intervention. RESULTS: In total, 91 DRPs in 8 categories generated recommendations to the physicians; 56 recommendations were generated at the medication review and 35 at the patient interview. At the interview, 421 problems were identified, of which 60% were medication-related and 40% lifestyle-related. In connection with the interview, 528 actions were taken within 8 different categories. MI was a central technique applicable for most problems and was employed in nearly all patients (94%). About half of the patients reported increased focus on lifestyle change, and 21-39% reported increased knowledge, confidence and skills in relation to their medication as well as better quality of life. The pharmacists found that the intervention elements were meaningful pharmacist tasks, and that the DRAW tool was easy to use and helped them focus on addressing reasons for non-adherence. The mean total time spent by the pharmacist per patient was 2 h 14 min (SD 40 min). CONCLUSIONS: A pharmacist-led, multifaceted, tailored adherence intervention was feasible for identifying and addressing a wide range of potential adherence and lifestyle problems. Among the intervention procedures, MI was a central technique, applicable in most types of problems. The questionnaire showed relatively little value for identifying non-adherence. The intervention was well accepted both by the pharmacists and the patients, thereby increasing the likeliness of successful implementation in routine practice.

A national drug related problems database: evaluation of use in practice, reliability and reproducibility.

BACKGROUND: A drug related problems database (DRP-database) was developed on request by clinical pharmacists. The information from the DRP-database has only been used locally e.g. to identify focus areas and to communicate identified DRPs to the hospital wards. Hence the quality of the data at the national level is unknown, which may compromise national analyses for benchmarking and identification of national focus areas. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the use in practice, reliability and reproducibility of the DRPs documented in the Danish drug related problems database. SETTING: Danish hospital pharmacies. METHODS: Practice use of the DRP-database was explored by an electronic questionnaire distributed to hospital pharmacies, and consisted of questions regarding current and previous use of the DRP-database. The reliability was evaluated by comparing the categorization of 24 cases by clinical pharmacists with categorization performed by the project group. Reproducibility was explored by re-categorization of a sample of existing records in the DRP-database by two project group members individually. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Observed proportion of agreement and Fleiss' kappa as measures of inter-rater reliability and reproducibility. RESULTS: The practice use study of 12 hospital pharmacy locations revealed that when implementing the DRP-database, the majority of identified DRPs are documented in the DRP-database, however, some variations throughout the country exist. The interrater reliability study of 34 clinical pharmacists showed high inter-rater reliability with the project group (Fleiss' kappa = 0.79 with 95 % CI (0.70; 0.88)), and the reproducibility study also documented high inter-rater reliability of a sample of 379 records from the DRP-database re-categorized by two project group members (Fleiss' kappa = 0.81 with 95 % CI (0.78; 0.85)). CONCLUSION: The study showed high reliability and reproducibility of the DRP-database, however, some local variation in the use of the DRP-database throughout the country existed affecting the overall quality. These findings indicate that data in the DRP-database may be pooled, and national analyses may be conducted to explore development areas for common interest.

Characterization of drug-related problems identified by clinical pharmacy staff at Danish hospitals.

BACKGROUND: In 2010, a database of drug related problems (DRPs) was implemented to assist clinical pharmacy staff in documenting clinical pharmacy activities locally. A study of quality, reliability and generalisability showed that national analyses of the data could be conducted. Analyses at the national level may help identify and prevent DRPs by performing national interventions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the DRP characteristics as documented by clinical pharmacy staff at hospital pharmacies in the Danish DRP-database during a 3-year period. SETTING: Danish hospital pharmacies. METHOD: Data documented in the DRP-database during the initial 3 years after implementation were analyzed retrospectively. The DRP-database contains DRPs reported at hospitals by clinical pharmacy staff. The analyses focused on DRP categories, implementation rates and drugs associated with the DRPs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Characteristics of DRPs. RESULTS: In total, 72,044 DRPs were documented in the DRP-database during the first 3 years of implementation, and the number of documented DRPs increased every year. An overall stable implementation rate of approximately 58 % was identified. The DRPs identified were multi-facetted, however evenly distributed for each of the 3 years. The most frequently identified DRP categories were: "Dose", followed by "Nonadherence to guidelines" and "Supplement to treatment". The highest implementation rates were found for the following DRP categories: "Non-adherence to guidelines" (79 %) followed by "Therapeutic duplication" (73 %) and "Dosing time and interval" (70 %). Even though the top 25 drugs were involved in 58 % of all DRPs, multiple drugs were associated with DRPs. The drugs most frequently involved in DRPs were paracetamol (4.6 % of all DRPs), simvastatin (3.0 %), lansoprazole (2.7 %), morphine (2.6 %) and alendronic acid (2.4 %). CONCLUSIONS: The study found that a national database on DRPs contained multi-facetted DRPs, however evenly distributed for each of the 3 years. Even though the top 25 drugs were involved in 58 % of all DRPs, multiple drugs were associated with DRPs. The study emphasizes the importance of detecting and intervening for DRPs.