Brief Project Summary
Project Title: Shed MEDS: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Deprescribe for Older Patients with Polypharmacy
PIs: Drs. Sandra Simmons and Ed Vasilevskis
Institution: Vanderbilt University
Contact information: [email protected] and [email protected]
Study Type: Randomized Controlled Trial
Who, What, Where: Patient-centered deprescribing intervention (Shed MEDS) for adults 50 and older that spans the continuum of hospital and post-acute care to reduce the total number of medications patients are prescribed in each care setting and at home after SNF discharge.
Document List *
Project Summary
The Shed MEDS study aims to examine the impact of a patient-centered deprescribing intervention on older adults who are transitioning from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility. The intervention seeks to reduce the total number of medications patients are prescribed, the number of potentially inappropriate medications,and the anticholinergic and sedative drug burden of prescribed medications. The healthcare settings are an acute care hospital, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and 22 regional Post-Acute Care Facilities (20 Skilled Nursing Facilities and 2 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities). The study aims to consent 432 adult medical or surgical ward inpatients that are age 50 or older, taking at least 5 medications, and are referred to one of the 22 participating PACs. The intervention consists of having a research clinician review the patients’ medications and propose a list that can be reduced or stopped. The clinician will discuss this list with the patient and their healthcare providers. Outcomes to be studied include geriatric syndromes, medication adherence, and health status.
* Conditions of Use
The Principal Investigator of this study requests that other researchers do not use portions of these documents directly (“cut and paste”) in their own study materials without specific permission. Please contact the PI’s Drs. Sandra Simmons and Ed Vasilevskis at [email protected] and [email protected] to request permission, explaining what you would like to use and how you would like to use it.