Aubert C, et al. Outcome Measures for Interventions to Reduce Inappropriate Chronic Drugs: A Narrative Review. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020; doi: 10.1111/jgs.16697
A new review study examined outcome measures used in deprescribing interventions. Primary author Carole Aubert, MD out of the University of Michigan and team first identified relevant measures and then sought to categorize and synthesize these measures to inform future deprescribing study intervention design. Ninety-three studies were included in the review. The authors found that measures of deprescribing were inconsistent and infrequent, and most measures focused on outcomes related the specific drug studied. However, most studies used a measure of appropriateness such as drug cessation or dose reduction. Patient- and provider-reported outcomes such as experience and interaction were infrequently included, and only 26% of studies measured unintended consequences of deprescribing. In order for long-term success of deprescribing interventions, it is important to fill in the gaps by measuring patient and provider-level outcomes.
“We hope that our review will facilitate implementation of all types of measures, including patient-reported measures and measures of unintended consequences, in future deprescribing studies.”
