A deprescribing programme aimed to optimise blood glucose-lowering medication in older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the OMED2-study: the study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) have an increased risk of hypoglycaemic episodes when using sulphonylureas or insulin. In the Netherlands, guidelines exist for reducing glucose-lowering medication in older patients. However, evidence is lacking that a medication reduction in older patients can be safely pursued. Here, we will examine if promoting the deprescribing of insulin/sulphonylureas with a deprescribing programme (DPP) in general practice affects T2D-complications in older overtreated patients. METHODS: We will perform a 1:1 cluster randomised controlled trial in 86 general practices in the Netherlands. The DPP will consist of education sessions with general practitioners and practice nurses about reducing glucose-lowering medication in older patients (≥ 70 years). Topics of the sessions include the necessity of deprescribing, tools to initiate deprescribing and strategies to discuss deprescribing with patients (shared decision making). The DPP further includes a support programme with practice visits. The study will employ a selection tool to identify possibly overtreated older patients from the electronic medical records of the general practitioner. Eligibility for enrolment in the study will be based on HbA1c targets indicated by the Dutch guidelines, which depend on age, diabetes duration, presence of frailty, and life expectancy. The control group will provide usual care. We aim to include 406 patients. The follow-up period will be 2 years. For the primary outcome, the effect of the DPP on T2D-complications will be assessed by counting the cumulative incidence of events related to under- and overtreatment in T2D as registered in the electronic medical records. We shall perform an intention-to-treat analysis and an analysis including only patients for whom deprescribing was initiated. The implementation of the DPP in general practice will be evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively using the Extended Normalisation Process Theory (ENPT) and the Reach, Efficacy - Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) model. Other secondary outcomes include quality of life, cognitive functioning, events related to overtreatment or undertreatment, biomarkers of health, amount of blood glucose-lowering medication prescriptions, and cost-effectiveness. DISCUSSION: This study will provide insight into the safety and feasibility of a programme aimed at deprescribing sulphonylureas/insulin in older people with T2D who are treated in general practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN50008265 , registered 09 March, 2023.

Medication Appropriateness for Older Nursing Home Patients With a Limited Life Expectancy: From STOPP/START Version 2 to the ReNeWAL Criteria.

OBJECTIVES: To adapt the 2015 Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions (STOPP)/Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment (START) criteria to older nursing home patients with a limited life expectancy of 1.5 to 2 years. DESIGN: A modified Delphi consensus study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was established in The Netherlands and conducted online. The international panel consisted of 23 experts with experience in medicine for older people. METHODS: The expert panel was presented with the 2015 STOPP/START criteria using an online survey program (Survey Monkey). The panelists were asked for their opinion on the appropriateness of the STOPP and START criteria, and adaptations to these criteria for older nursing home patients with a limited life expectancy on 4-point Likert scales. Consensus was defined as ≥70% of the panelists answering (very) inappropriate or (very) appropriate, and (completely) disagree or (completely) agree. RESULTS: Twenty-one panelists completed all 3 Delphi rounds. The final list of "Represcribing for Nursing home residents With A Limited life expectancy (ReNeWAL)" criteria comprises 132 criteria: 98 criteria to stop (70 original STOPP criteria and 28 adapted) and 34 criteria to start (16 original START criteria and 18 adapted) for older nursing home patients with a limited life expectancy. Considerations that panelists mentioned for adapting criteria were mainly prevention and treatment of discomfort. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: It is clear that represcribing for older nursing home patients is highly complex and requires the consideration of various elements. The ReNeWAL criteria may be useful in enhancing represcribing for older nursing home patients with a limited life expectancy.

Patient reported medication-related problems, adherence and waste of oral anticancer medication over time.

OBJECTIVES: Patients on oral anticancer therapy regularly experience medication-related problems (MRPs), potentially leading to non-adherence and medication waste. Most studies reporting these experiences have cross-sectional designs. The aim of our study was to explore patient reported MRPs, adherence and waste of oral anticancer medication over time. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal quantitative interview study with 4 months follow-up was performed among patients on oral anticancer medication (mainly tyrosine kinase inhibitors, (anti)hormonal therapy, pyrimidine antagonists) using a semi-structured questionnaire. Patients from two Dutch university medical centres were included from March to December 2022 after informed consent was given. Four interviews were performed with 1 month in between. All interviews were audiotaped, after which the data were entered into an electronic case report form. The primary outcome was the mean number of MRPs per patient per interview round. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of patients with at least one MRP, types of MRPs, perceived non-adherence, medication waste (both in general and specifically for anticancer medication), costs of anticancer medication waste, and factors associated with medication waste as mentioned by the patient. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Forty patients were included with a mean (SD) age of 64 (9) years; 43% were male. The mean number of MRPs per patient was 2.1 in the first interview and 1.2, 1.0 and 0.9 in the second, third and fourth interviews, respectively. Adverse drug reactions were the most frequently reported type of MRPs (30 (75%) patients in the first interview and 19 (65%) in the last interview). Unintentional non-adherence was regularly reported, especially in the first interview. Medication changes were frequent and associated medication waste was mentioned in all interviews. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients using oral anticancer treatment report MRPs and this number remains substantial over time.

Stable hemoglobin concentration with fecal immunochemical test at high temperatures in a Caribbean colorectal cancer screening program.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: High temperatures may reduce fecal immunochemical test (FIT) positivity and colorectal cancer (CRC) detection sensitivity. We investigated the effect of temperature on hemoglobin concentration [Hb], in the FOB Gold®. Additionally, we examined FIT pick-up, storage, return times and specimen collection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro experiments with buffer containing FIT devices, inoculated with Hb-spiked stool. For 7 days, 144 samples were stored in groups of 36 at 4 °C, 22 °C, 30 °C, and 50 °C. Additionally, 54 samples were stored in groups of 18 at 34 °C, 42 °C and 50 °C for 20 h. Paired t-tests and repeated measure ANOVA assessed [Hb] change. Sixty-five screening participants completed a FIT-handling questionnaire. RESULTS: After 7 days, mean [Hb] was stable at 30 °C (0.8 µg Hb/g;95 %CI: -1.5 to 3.1;p = 0.50). For 50 °C, mean [Hb] decreased within 2 days (-21.3 µg Hb/g;95 %CI: -30.2 to -12.5;p < 0.001) and after 20 h (-63.0 µg Hb/g;95 %CI: -88.7 to -37.3;p < 0.001), respectively. All other temperature categories showed significant mean [Hb] increase. Same-day FIT return was reported by 80 %. Eighty-seven percent experienced specimen collection as easy and 33 % kept the FIT refrigerated after collection. CONCLUSIONS: The FOB Gold® is suitable for CRC screening in tropical climates. Although most respondents indicated same-day sample return, we recommend avoiding FIT storage above 30 °C for longer than7 days.

[A prescription for yourself or acquaintances, a good idea?] / Een recept voor jezelf of een bekende, een goed idee?

Many doctors regularly write a prescription for themselves or for family members or friends. In this article, we discuss the legal and ethical considerations surrounding these prescriptions. We also discuss the role of the pharmacist who receives the prescription. Although there is no legal obstacle, codes of conduct and guidelines state that prescribing to acquaintances or yourself is undesirable, especially because it is often not possible to maintain sufficient professional distance, necessary to provide proper treatment. If the GP or other care providers have no knowledge of the prescription and no medical file is kept, undesirable situations may arise for the patient. A prescription for yourself or acquaintances can be made occasionally and under special circumstances (acute situation, no serious problem, short-term), but then requires a quick transfer of treatment to regular practitioners.

The effect of current antithrombotic therapy on mortality in nursing home residents with COVID-19: a multicentre retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The first wave of COVID led to an alarmingly high mortality rate among nursing home residents (NHRs). In hospitalised patients, the use of anticoagulants may be associated with a favourable prognosis. However, it is unknown whether the use of antithrombotic medication also protected NHRs from COVID-19-related mortality. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of current antithrombotic therapy in NHRs with COVID-19 on 30-day all-cause mortality during the first COVID-19 wave. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study linking electronic health records and pharmacy data in NHRs with COVID-19. A propensity score was used to match NHRs with current use of therapeutic dose anticoagulants to NHRs not using anticoagulant medication. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality, which was evaluated using a logistic regression model. In a secondary analysis, multivariable logistic regression was performed in the complete study group to compare NHRs with current use of therapeutic dose anticoagulants and those with current use of antiplatelet therapy to those without such medication. RESULTS: We included 3521 NHRs with COVID-19 based on a positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 or with a well-defined clinical suspicion of COVID-19. In the matched propensity score analysis, NHRs with current use of therapeutic dose anticoagulants had a significantly lower all-cause mortality (OR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.58-0.92) compared to NHRs who did not use therapeutic anticoagulants. In the secondary analysis, current use of therapeutic dose anticoagulants (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.48-0.82) and current use of antiplatelet therapy (OR 0.80; 95% CI: 0.64-0.99) were both associated with decreased mortality. CONCLUSIONS: During the first COVID-19 wave, therapeutic anticoagulation and antiplatelet use were associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality in NHRs. Whether these potentially protective effects are maintained in vaccinated patients or patients with other COVID-19 variants, remains unknown.

Prescription Sequence Symmetry Analysis (PSSA) to assess prescribing cascades: a step-by-step guide.

Prescribing cascades occur when patients are prescribed medication to treat the adverse drug reaction of previously prescribed medication. Prescription sequence symmetry analysis (PSSA) can be used to assess the association between two medications in prescription or dispensing databases and thus the potential occurrence of prescribing cascades. In this article, a step-by-step guide is presented for conducting PSSA to assess prescribing cascades. We describe considerations for medication data collection and setting time periods for relevant parameters, including washout window, exposure window, continued exposure interval and blackout period. With two examples, we illustrate the impact of changes in these parameters on the strengths of associations observed. Given the impact seen, we recommend that researchers clearly specify and explain all considerations regarding medication included and time windows set when studying prescribing cascades with PSSA, and conduct subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

Prescribing Cascades with Recommendations to Prevent or Reverse Them: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: To reduce prescribing cascades occurring in clinical practice, healthcare providers require information on the prescribing cascades they can recognize and prevent. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aims to provide an overview of prescribing cascades, including dose-dependency information and recommendations that healthcare providers can use to prevent or reverse them. METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was followed. Relevant literature was identified through searches in OVID MEDLINE, OVID Embase, OVID CINAHL, and Cochrane. Additionally, Web of Science and Scopus were consulted to analyze reference lists and citations. Publications in English were included if they analyzed the occurrence of prescribing cascades. Prescribing cascades were included if at least one study demonstrated a significant association and were excluded when the adverse drug reaction could not be confirmed in the Summary of Product Characteristics. Two reviewers independently extracted and grouped similar prescribing cascades. Descriptive summaries were provided regarding dose-dependency analyses and recommendations to prevent or reverse these prescribing cascades. RESULTS: A total of 95 publications were included, resulting in 115 prescribing cascades with confirmed adverse drug reactions for which at least one significant association was found. For 52 of these prescribing cascades, information regarding dose dependency or recommendations to prevent or reverse prescribing cascades was found. Dose dependency was analyzed and confirmed for 12 prescribing cascades. For example, antipsychotics that may cause extrapyramidal syndrome followed by anti-parkinson drugs. Recommendations focused on dosage lowering, discontinuing medication, and medication switching. Explicit recommendations regarding alternative options were given for three prescribing cascades. One example was switching to ondansetron or granisetron when extrapyramidal syndrome is experienced using metoclopramide. CONCLUSIONS: In total, 115 prescribing cascades were identified and an overview of 52 of them was generated for which recommendations to prevent or reverse them were provided. Nonetheless, information regarding alternative options for managing prescribing cascades was scarce.

Implementing medication adherence interventions in four Dutch living labs; context matters.

BACKGROUND: Despite the abundant availability of effective medication adherence interventions, uptake of these interventions into routine care often lacks. Examples of effective medication adherence interventions include telephone counseling, consult preparation and the teach-back method. Assessing context is an important step in understanding implementation success of interventions, but context is often not reported or only moderately described. This study aims to describe context-specific characteristics in four living labs prior to the implementation of evidence-based interventions aiming to improve medication adherence. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted within four living labs using individual interviews (n = 12) and focus groups (n = 4) with project leaders and involved healthcare providers. The four living labs are multidisciplinary collaboratives that are early adopters of medication adherence interventions in the Dutch primary care system. Context is defined as the environment or setting in which the proposed change is to be implemented. Interview topics to assess context were formulated based on the 'inner setting' and 'outer setting' domains of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were deductively analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 39 community pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, general practitioners and a home care employee participated in the (focus group) interviews. All four living labs proved to be pharmacy-driven and characterized by a high regard for innovation by staff members, a positive implementation climate, high levels of leadership engagement and high compatibility between the living labs and the interventions. Two living labs were larger in size and characterized by more formal communication. Two living labs were characterized by higher levels of cosmopolitanism which resulted in more adaptable interventions. Worries about external policy, most notably lack of reimbursement for sustainment and upscaling of the interventions, were shared among all living labs. CONCLUSIONS: Contextual characteristics of four living labs that are early adopters of medication adherence interventions provide detailed examples of a positive implementation setting. These can be used to inform dissemination of medication adherence interventions in settings less experienced in implementing medication adherence interventions.

Quality of life after patient-initiated vs physician-initiated response to symptom monitoring: the SYMPRO-Lung trial.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies using patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) to monitor symptoms during and after (lung) cancer treatment used alerts that were sent to the health-care provider, although an approach in which patients receive alerts could be more clinically feasible. The primary aim of this study was to compare the effect of weekly PROM symptom monitoring via a reactive approach (patient receives alert) or active approach (health-care provider receives alert) with care as usual on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) at 15 weeks after start of treatment in lung cancer patients. METHODS: The SYMPRO-Lung trial is a multicenter randomized controlled trial using a stepped wedge design. Stage I-IV lung cancer patients in the reactive and active groups reported PROM symptoms weekly, which were linked to a common alerting algorithm. HRQOL was measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 at baseline and after 15 weeks. Linear regression analyses and effect size estimates were used to assess mean QOL-C30 change scores between groups, accounting for confounding. RESULTS: A total of 515 patients were included (160 active group, 89 reactive group, 266 control group). No differences in HRQOL were observed between the reactive and active group (summary score: unstandardized beta [B] = 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -3.22 to 4.24, Cohen d effect size [ES] = 0.06; physical functioning: B = 0.25, 95% CI = -5.15 to 4.64, ES = 0.02). The combined intervention groups had statistically and clinically significantly better mean change scores on the summary score (B = 4.85, 95% CI = 1.96 to 7.73, ES = 0.57) and physical functioning (B = 7.00, 95% CI = 2.90 to 11.09, ES = 0.71) compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Weekly PRO symptom monitoring statistically and clinically significantly improves HRQOL in lung cancer patients. The logistically less intensive, reactive approach may be a better fit for implementation.

Insomnia management in Dutch general practice: a routine care database study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore insomnia management in general practice, with a focus on sleep medication prescription. DESIGN: Descriptive analysis of anonymized routine general practice care data extracted from electronic medical records (EMRs), including demographics, free text annotations from sleep consultations and sleep medication prescriptions covering one year before up to two years after the registration of the International Classification for Primary Care (ICPC) code P06 'Sleep disturbance'. SETTING: Twenty-one general practices in an urban area of the Netherlands. PATIENTS: Adults (18-85 year) with a first sleep consultation with their GP. OUTCOMES: Documented non-pharmacological and sleep medication treatment. RESULTS: Of the 1,089 patients who consulted their general practitioner (GP) for sleep disturbance for the first time, about 50% had one more sleep consultation during the two years follow-up. Over two years including the first consultation, GPs documented a non-pharmacological intervention for 48.4% of the patients and prescribed sleep medication to 77.0%. 64.6% of the patients received a sleep medication prescription in the first consultation. Among patients receiving medication (N = 838); 59.6% received more than one prescription; 76.8% received one or more short-acting benzodiazepine receptor agonist (BZRA), 39.5% one or more unrecommended drugs and 14.7% >180 pills of BZRAs in two years. CONCLUSION: Although the guidelines advocate non-pharmacological treatment and warn against unwarranted sleep medication, it is still very common in Dutch general practice to prescribe medication, even at the first sleep consultation. Prescriptions frequently include unrecommended and off-label drugs or repeated BZRA prescriptions.

Short statementThere are concerns about the prescription rate and nature of sleep medication prescribed for patients with sleep disturbance. Analysis of routine care data can provide insights in general practitioners (GPs) management of insomnia.3 main statements GPs prescribed sleep medication in the first consultation to 64.6% of the patients who consulted them for sleep disturbance for the first time.Over two years including the first consultation, 48.4% of the patients received a (documented) non-pharmacological intervention, 77.0% a sleep medication prescription.Among patients receiving medication, the majority received short-acting benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRAs), but 39.5% (also) received an unrecommended drug.

Decision-making on colorectal cancer screening in Curaçao - interviews with the target population.

BACKGROUND: During the first year of the population based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program on Curaçao, about 20% of invitees participated. This study explored the target population's perceptions and awareness on CRC (screening), beliefs on the program provision, their preferences and information needs for informed decision-making. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with 23 individuals, who were not yet invited for CRC screening, were recorded, transcribed, coded and analyzed. RESULTS: CRC (screening) was discussed in the context of personal health, where own responsibility and food were important. Cancer was perceived as an unpredictable disease that causes suffering and leads to death and was also associated with fear. Despite being aware of the program, most respondents were not familiar with the screening procedure. Provision of the screening program was regarded positively and as an opportunity to contribute to health improvement. This seemed related to the expressed trust in the Caribbean Prevention Center (program organizer). Respondents preferred to make independent decisions about CRC screening participation. A personal approach, visual aids and media were the preferred sources of information. CONCLUSION: The results of our interviews suggest that it may be beneficial to provide information on CRC screening in Curaçao within the context of personal health. While including sensitivity to fears and respect for the autonomy of the target population. Finally, electronic media maybe useful in supporting informed decision-making.

Availability and accessibility of HIV self-tests and self-sample kits at community pharmacies in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: In 2016 the WHO declared HIV self-testing and self-sampling an effective and safe test option that can reduce testing barriers. HIV self-tests and self-sampling kits (HIVST/HIVSS) are available for purchase at Dutch community pharmacies since 2019. We investigated the availability and accessibility of HIVST/HIVSS in community pharmacies, and factors associated with test availability. METHODS: An online survey among all Dutch community pharmacies (n = 1,987) was conducted between April and June 2021. Availability of HIVST/HIVSS and experiences of pharmacists with the test offer were analyzed with descriptive statistics. The association of pharmacy and pharmacists' characteristics with HIVST/HIVSS availability was explored by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 465 pharmacists completed the questionnaire. Of the responding pharmacists, 6.2% (n = 29) offered HIVST/HIVSS. The majority (82.8%) sold between 0 and 20 tests per year. In total, pharmacies sold an estimated 370 HIVST/HIVSS per year. Pharmacies having HIVST/HIVSS available were less often located in moderately-urbanized to rural neighborhoods (OR 0.35, 95%CI 0.16-0.77 versus highly-urbanized), and were less often located in moderate-to-low SES neighborhoods (OR 0.40, 95%CI 0.18-0.88 versus high-SES). Reasons for not offering HIVST/HIVSS by pharmacists were no or little demand (69.3%), and not being familiar with these tests (17.4%). 52% of the pharmacists provided information about testing to test buyers. Reported options to improve the test offer were giving advice about (performing) the test to test buyers (72.4%), placing tests visible on the counter (51.7%), and advertisement (37.9%). CONCLUSION: HIVST/HIVSS have a limited practical availability in Dutch community pharmacies since their introduction in 2019, especially in lower-urbanized and lower-SES areas. Further research is needed to explore how to expand access to HIVST/HIVSS through community pharmacies in the Netherlands, and how to tailor it to the needs of pharmacy clients.

Scalability of effective adherence interventions for patients using cardiovascular disease medication: A realist synthesis-inspired systematic review.

Upscaling of medication adherence interventions to routine care is still challenging. This realist theory-inspired review aimed to assess which intervention aspects are potentially important for the scalability of effective cardiovascular disease (CVD) medication adherence interventions and how they are reported in effectiveness studies. A total of 4097 articles from four databases were screened of which ultimately 31 studies were included. Relevant information on scalability was extracted using a theoretic framework based on the scalability assessment tool used in the QUALIDEC study for the following domains: (i) innovation, (ii) implementers and patients, (iii) adopting organizations and health system, and (iv) socio-political context. Extracted articles were analysed for themes and chains of inference, which were grouped based on commonality and source of evidence to form new hypotheses. Six different domains relevant for scalability of adherence interventions were identified: (1) Complexity of the intervention; (2) training; (3) customization of the intervention; (4) drivers of the intervention; (5) technical interventions; and (6) stakeholder involvement. These six domains might be useful for the development of more scalable interventions by bridging the gap between research and practice. Data relevant for scalability is not well reported on in effectiveness trials for CVD medication adherence interventions and only limited data on scalability has been published in additional papers. We believe the adoption and reach of effective CVD medication adherence interventions will improve with increased awareness for the necessity of scalability in all phases of intervention development.

Off-label low dose amitriptyline for insomnia disorder: Patient-reported outcomes.

PURPOSE: Low dose amitriptyline is prescribed off-label to improve sleep maintenance in patients with insomnia disorder. Data on treatment outcomes are limited. We aimed to assess patient-reported treatment effect and side effects of low dose amitriptyline for insomnia in routine care data. METHODS: Cross-sectional study: Seven hundred fifty-two consecutive patients with insomnia disorder having sleep maintenance problems were treated in an outpatient sleep clinic with low dose amitriptyline (10-20 mg based on self-titration). Treatment was intended to improve sleep maintenance. Before the planned follow-up consultation (approximately 6 weeks after start treatment) patients completed an online treatment evaluation questionnaire. Treatment (dose, adherence), sleep, fatigue, satisfaction and side effects were assessed by multiple-choice questions with room for free-text elaboration. RESULTS: 53.7% of the patients reported to use amitriptyline up to 10 mg/day, 42.9% used a self-increased dose of mostly 20 mg/day, while 3.5% had discontinued treatment. 73.9% of the total study population reported improvement of sleep maintenance, 31.3% improved sleep onset, 35.2% improved daytime fatigue, and 45.8% reported to be (very) satisfied with treatment results. 66.1% reported at least one side effect. The reported side effects were generally the already known side effects of amitriptyline. CONCLUSION: These patient-reported outcomes support the clinical observations that low dose amitriptyline improves sleep maintenance on the short term and that it is generally well tolerated. This further justifies randomized controlled trials in patients with insomnia disorder and sleep maintenance problems to assess the effectiveness and safety of low dose amitriptyline on the short and long term.

Validation of an Announced Telephone Pill Count Compared to a Home-Visit Pill Count in People With Type 2 Diabetes or Cardiovascular Disease.

We aimed to assess the validity of an announced telephone pill count in people with type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease by comparing this method to a home-visit pill count. We also assessed whether a second telephone pill count improved accuracy. People aged ≥35 years using oral type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease medication were included. Thirty-four participants completed a telephone pill count followed by a home-visit pill count, and a subsample of this population (n = 11) completed a second telephone pill count. Scatterplots were used for a visual representation of the number of pills counted with both methods, intraclass correlation coefficients for agreement, and Bland-Altman plots for absolute differences and outliers. A total of 203 pill counts were conducted. The study population consisted of 53% men, with a mean age of 69.6 (±9.2) years and an average of 6.1 (±2.8) medication prescriptions per participant. Scatterplots showed that pills counted with both methods were mostly scattered around the y = x equation. Agreement between the first telephone pill count and home-visit pill count was high, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.96 (medication count level) and 0.98 (individual level). No learning effects were observed in the subsample (n = 11), the intraclass correlation coefficient for the first telephone pill count was 0.88 versus 0.89 for the second telephone pill count. Bland-Altman plots indicated high agreement between the two methods. An announced telephone pill count is considered a valid alternative for a home-visit pill count in people with type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. A single pill count appears sufficient.

Patient experiences and views on pharmaceutical care during adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The use of adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) after primary treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer reduces the risk of recurrence and mortality. However, non-adherence is still common. Limited consideration has been given to how users deal with AET and the role of pharmaceutical care. Therefore, this study aims to obtain insight into the needs and wishes of women using AET regarding pharmaceutical care and eHealth. METHODS: This is a qualitative explorative study comprising semi-structured interviews (n = 16) and a focus group (n = 5) among women who use or used AET after primary early-stage breast cancer (EBC) treatment using a thematic analysis approach. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the interviews and focus group: (1) experiences with AET use, (2) experiences with provided information and (3) needs and wishes regarding pharmaceutical care. Most women were highly motivated to use AET and indicated to have received useful information on AET. However, many expressed a strong need for more elaborate tailored and timely provided information on AET. They acknowledged the accessibility of pharmacists but reported that currently, pharmacists are hardly involved in AET care. Several women considered eHealth useful to obtain counselling and reliable information. CONCLUSION: Women need more comprehensive information and follow-up in primary setting after initial cancer treatments. A more elaborate role for the pharmacy and eHealth/mHealth, especially with regard to counselling on side effects and side effect management, could potentially improve pharmaceutical care.

A personalised intervention programme aimed at improving adherence to oral antidiabetic and/or antihypertensive medication in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the INTENSE study: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Medication non-adherence is a prevalent health problem in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Interventions have previously been developed to improve medication adherence, but inconsistent outcomes have been reported. A potential explanation for this inconsistency is a 'one size fits all' approach, with interventions not tailored to the needs and preferences of individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a personalised intervention programme aimed at improving adherence to oral antidiabetic and/or antihypertensive medication in people with T2DM. METHODS: A parallel-group randomised controlled trial will be conducted in 40-50 community pharmacies in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 300 participants will be included and followed up for a period of 6 months. Participants will be people with T2DM identified as non-adherent to oral antidiabetic and/or antihypertensive medication, aged 35-75 years and mobile phone users. The intervention group will receive a personalised intervention programme that is based on one or more of the participants' pre-defined non-adherence profile(s), namely (I) Knowledge and perceptions, (II) Practical problems, (III) Side effects and (IV) Negative mood and beliefs. The intervention comprises of one or more supporting modules, namely (I) Brief messaging, (II) Clinical medication review, (III) Medication schedule, (IV) Reminding messaging, (V) Medication dispensing systems, (VI) Smart messaging, (VII) Referral to general practitioner and (VIII) Unguided web-based Self Help Application for low mood. The control group will receive usual care including access to a publicly available informative diabetes website. The primary study outcome is medication adherence measured with a telephone pill count. Secondary outcomes are systolic blood pressure, HbA1c level, self-reported medication adherence, attitude and beliefs toward medication, satisfaction with diabetes treatment, health status and medical consumption and productivity cost. In addition, a process evaluation will be undertaken to establish the fidelity, reach and the extent to which intervention delivery is normalised in the daily practice of community pharmacy teams. DISCUSSION: The study can lead to a personalised intervention programme that improves medication adherence in people with T2DM that are non-adherent to oral antidiabetic and/or antihypertensive medication. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Dutch Trial Register, Trial NL8747 , registered 02 July, 2020; ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN36009809 , registered 05 February, 2020.

External Validation of a Prediction Model for Falls in Older People Based on Electronic Health Records in Primary Care.

OBJECTIVE: Early identification of older people at risk of falling is the cornerstone of fall prevention. Many fall prediction tools exist but their external validity is lacking. External validation is a prerequisite before application in clinical practice. Models developed with electronic health record (EHR) data are especially challenging because of the uncontrolled nature of routinely collected data. We aimed to externally validate our previously developed and published prediction model for falls, using a large cohort of community-dwelling older people derived from primary care EHR data. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort drawn from EHR data. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Pseudonymized EHR data were collected from individuals aged ≥65 years, who were enlisted in any of the participating 59 general practices between 2015 and 2020 in the Netherlands. METHODS: Ten predictors were defined and obtained using the same methods as in the development study. The outcome was 1-year fall and was obtained from free text. Both reproducibility and transportability were evaluated. Model performance was assessed in terms of discrimination using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC), and in terms of calibration, using calibration-in-the-large, calibration slope and calibration plots. RESULTS: Among 39,342 older people, 5124 (13.4%) fell in the 1-year follow-up. The characteristics of the validation and the development cohorts were similar. ROC-AUCs of the validation and development cohort were 0.690 and 0.705, respectively. Calibration-in-the-large and calibration slope were 0.012 and 0.878, respectively. Calibration plots revealed overprediction for high-risk groups in a small number of individuals. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our previously developed prediction model for falls demonstrated good external validity by reproducing its predictive performance in the validation cohort. The implementation of this model in the primary care setting could be considered after impact assessment.

Implementation of a pharmacist-led transitional pharmaceutical care programme: Process evaluation of Medication Actions to Reduce hospital admissions through a collaboration between Community and Hospital pharmacists (MARCH).

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: The recently conducted Medication Actions to Reduce hospital admissions through a collaboration between Community and Hospital pharmacists (MARCH) transitional care programme, which aimed to test the effectiveness of a transitional care programme on the occurrence of ADEs post-discharge, did not show a significant effect. To clarify whether this non-significant effect was due to poor implementation or due to ineffectiveness of the intervention as such, a process evaluation was conducted. The aim of the study was to gain more insight into the implementation fidelity of MARCH. METHODS: A mixed methods design and the modified Conceptual Framework for Implementation Fidelity was used. For evaluation, the implementation fidelity and moderating factors of four key MARCH intervention components (teach-back, the pharmaceutical discharge letter, the post-discharge home-visit and the transitional medication review) were assessed. Quantitative data were collected during and after the intervention. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with MARCH healthcare professionals (community pharmacists, clinical pharmacists, pharmacy assistants and pharmaceutical consultants) and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Not all key intervention components were implemented as intended. Teach-back was not always performed. Moreover, 63% of the pharmaceutical discharge letters, 35% of the post-discharge home-visits and 44% of the transitional medication reviews were not conducted within their planned time frames. Training sessions, structured manuals and protocols with detailed descriptions facilitated implementation. Intervention complexity, time constraints and the multidisciplinary coordination were identified as barriers for the implementation. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Overall, the implementation fidelity was considered to be moderate. Not all key intervention components were carried out as planned. Therefore, the non-significant results of the MARCH programme on ADEs may at least partly be explained by poor implementation of the programme. To successfully implement transitional care programmes, healthcare professionals require full integration of these programmes in the standard work-flow including IT improvements as well as compensation for the time investment.