A tool for safer prescribing in vulnerable adults: the continuing development of the Medichec app and website

Abstract

Aims and method: Adverse effects are a common concern when prescribing and reviewing medication, particularly in vulnerable adults such as older people and those with intellectual disability. This paper describes the development of an app giving information on side-effects, called Medichec, and provides a description of the processes involved in its development and how drugs were rated for each side-effect. Medications with central anticholinergic action, dizziness, drowsiness, hyponatraemia, QTc prolongation, bleeding and constipation were identified using the British National Formulary (BNF) and frequency of occurrence of these effects was determined using the BNF, product information and electronic searches, including PubMed.

Results: Medications were rated using a traffic light system according to how commonly the adverse effect was known to occur or the severity of the effect.

Clinical implications: Medichec can facilitate access to side-effects information for multiple medications, aid clinical decision-making, optimise treatment and improve patient safety in vulnerable adults.

Keywords: Medichec; anticholinergic; dementia; medication; side-effects.