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. 2015 Jul;44(4):704-8.
doi: 10.1093/ageing/afv028. Epub 2015 Mar 10.

Factors influencing deprescribing habits among geriatricians

Danielle Ní Chróinín  1 , Chantelle Ní Chróinín  2 , Alexander Beveridge  1
Affiliations

Factors influencing deprescribing habits among geriatricians

Danielle Ní Chróinín et al. Age Ageing. 2015 Jul.

Abstract

Background: deprescribing habits among physicians managing older, frailer, cognitively impaired patients have not been well investigated.

Methods: an anonymised electronic survey was disseminated to all members of an international geriatric society/local advanced trainee network (N = 930). This comprised a Likert-scale analysis of factors influencing desprescribing, and five case vignettes, detailing a patient with progressive cognitive impairment and dependency, on a background of ischaemic heart disease and hypertension.

Results: among 134 respondents (response rate 14.4%), 47.4% were female, 48.9% aged 36-50 years and 84.1% specialists (15.9% trainees). Respondents commonly rated limited life expectancy (96.2%) and cognitive impairment (84.1%) as very/extremely important to deprescribing practices. On multivariable analysis, older respondents less commonly rated functional dependency (odds ratio [OR] 0.22 per change in age category; P < 0.001) and limited life expectancy (OR 0.09, P = 0.04) important when deprescribing, while female participants (OR 3.03, P < 0.001) and trainees (versus specialists OR 14.29, P < 0.001) more often rated adherence to evidence-based guidelines important. As vignettes described increasing dependency and cognitive impairment, physicians were more likely to stop donepezil, aspirin, atorvastatin and antihypertensives (all P < 0.001 for trend). Aspirin (93.6%) and ramipril (94.1%) were most commonly deprescribed. Commonest reasons cited for deprescribing medications were 'dementia severity', followed by pill burden.

Conclusion: in this exploratory analysis, geriatricians rated limited life expectancy and cognitive impairment very important in driving deprescribing practices. Geriatricians more often deprescribed multiple medications in the setting of advancing dependency and cognitive impairment, driven by dementia severity and pill burden concerns. Physician characteristics also influence deprescribing practices. Further exploration of factors influencing deprescribing patterns, and patient outcomes, is needed.

Keywords: dementia; geriatrics; inappropriate prescribing; older people; physician's practice patterns; polypharmacy.

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