An Intervention Study to Reduce the Use and Impact of Potentially Inappropriate Medications Among Older Adults

The Patient as a Driver of Change: an Intervention Study to Reduce the Use and Impact of Potentially Inappropriate Medications Among Older Adults

An educational intervention targeting community-dwelling older adults will lead to a reduction in potentially inappropriate prescriptions (e.g. benzodiazepines, oxybutynin).

Cessation of potentially inappropriate medications (e.g. benzodiazepines, oxybutynin)will lead to improved cognitive outcomes in older adults.

This study tests the effectiveness of a knowledge transfer tool for empowering patients to engage in collaborative discontinuation of potentially inappropriate medication with their pharmacist and/or physician

Inclusion Criteria:

• 65 year old human adults
• who fill a prescription for at least 5 medications
• community dwelling
• chronic use (3 months or longer) of at least one potentially inappropriate medication (e.g. benzodiazepine, oxybutynin)

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients with severe mental illness, dementia and epilepsy
• concomitant consumption of any other antipsychotic medication (including lithium, olanzapine, clozapine, quetiapine, risperidone, haloperidol etc.)
• concomitant consumption of any antiepileptic (including carbamazepine, valproate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, topiramate, oxcarbazepine etc.)
• concomitant consumption of a cholinesterase inhibitor or memantine