Clinical Research Directory
Browse clinical research sites, groups, and studies.
Pharmacist Led Intervention to Improve Medication Use in Older In-patients Living With Frailty: the Drug Burden Index
Sponsor: Emily
Summary
Older people in Canada commonly take multiple medicines for their health conditions. Certain medicines, especially when taken together can lead to serious harms, such as falls. As people age and their health changes, medicines that were once helpful may become harmful. Healthcare professionals recognise that better tools and procedures are needed to make sure that people are taking the right medicines at the right time. A tool has been recently created, called the Drug Burden Index (DBI) Calculator©, to be used by hospital pharmacists. It helps them identify which medicines (and combinations of medicines) are harmful to older people. This tool also produces reports for the doctor and for the older person and their family. In this study, hospital pharmacists will use the DBI calculator© during their normal activities. The investigators will measure what effect this has on the medicines used and health outcomes in older adults. The investigators are also interested in what influences use and impact of the calculator. For example, there may be differences in use in older males compared to females or in the benefits seen in people living with frailty compared to those who are not frail. Use of the DBI calculator© may lead to improvements in how medicines are managed in hospital. This would mean less drug costs and drug side effects. Overall, the project may lead to improving the quality of life for older Canadians. Hypothesis: Implementation of a ward-based, pharmacist-led intervention utilizing the DBI Calculator© will lead to optimization of medications, reduced DBI and improved health outcomes in frail and non-frail older adults.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
70 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
198
Start Date
2019-02-06
Completion Date
2024-08-01
Last Updated
2026-10-30
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
Intervention
Pharmacist-led medication optimization intervention using an electronic tool (DBI Calculator©). The DBI Calculator is an electronic tool which calculates a score from the medication reconciliation list (medications taken prior to admission). It also creates a 'DBI report' which includes their full medication list, their DBI score, an explanation of the risks associated with their DBI score and highlighted medications which are contributing to their DBI score (that is, high risk medications which may be suitable for deprescribing).
Locations (1)
Nova Scotia Health Authority QE2/DGH
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada