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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Sep;85(9):1974-1983.
doi: 10.1111/bcp.13987. Epub 2019 Jul 3.

The effect of providing prescribing recommendations on appropriate prescribing: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in older adults in a preoperative setting

Marijke Nynke Boersma  1 , Corlina Johanna Alida Huibers  1 , Anna Clara Drenth-van Maanen  1 , Mariëlle Henriëtte Emmelot-Vonk  1 , Ingeborg Wilting  2 , Wilma Knol  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The effect of providing prescribing recommendations on appropriate prescribing: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in older adults in a preoperative setting

Marijke Nynke Boersma et al. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2019 Sep.

Abstract

Aims: The Systematic Tool to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing is a method to assess patient's medication and has been incorporated into a clinical decision support system: STRIP Assistant. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of recommendations generated using STRIP Assistant on appropriate prescribing and mortality in a preoperative setting.

Methods: This cluster-randomized controlled trial was carried out at the preoperative geriatric outpatient clinic. Residents who performed a comprehensive geriatric assessment were randomized to the control group and intervention group in a 1:1 ratio. Visiting patients aged 70 years or older on 5 or more medications were included.

Intervention: prescribing recommendations were generated by a physician using STRIP Assistant and given to the resident. Control group residents performed a medication review according to usual care.

Primary outcome: number of medication changes made because of potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), and suboptimal dosages according to the prescribing recommendations. Secondary outcome: 3-month postoperative mortality.

Results: 65 intervention and 59 control patients were included, attended by 34 residents. Significantly more medication changes because of PPOs and PIMs were made in the intervention group than in the control group (PPOs 26.2% vs 3.4%, odds ratio 0.04 [95% confidence interval 0.003-0.46] P < .05; PIMS 46.2% vs 15.3% odds ratio 0.14 [95% confidence interval 0.07-0.57] P < .005). There were no differences in dose adjustments or in postoperative mortality.

Conclusion: Prescribing recommendations generated with the help of STRIP Assistant improved appropriate prescribing in a preoperative geriatric outpatient clinic but did not affect postoperative mortality.

Keywords: clinical pharmacology; clinical pharmacology, clinical trials; elderly; geriatrics, drug safety; geriatrics, geriatric medicine; prescribing.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no competing interests to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow and cluster size
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average number of prescribing recommendations per patient, average number of medication changes in accordance with prescribing recommendations, and average number of additional changes by the resident per patient, because of potential prescribing omissions (PPOs); (A), potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs); (B), and suboptimal dosages (C) in the control and intervention groups. *P < .001. P values calculated using Mann–Whitney U
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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