Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29317917›Full record

ArticlePharmacy practice

Assessing appropriateness of drug therapy in older persons: Development and application of a medication assessment tool for long-term management of atrial fibrillation.

Marise Gauci, Francesca Wirth, Liberato Camilleri, Lilian M Azzopardi, Anthony Serracino-Inglott

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pharmacy practice. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Marise GauciDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida; & Senior Principal Pharmacist, Department of Pharmacy, Rehabilitation Hospital Karin Grech. Pieta, (Malta). marise.gauci@um.edu.mt.ORCID 0000-0001-5467-8632
Francesca WirthDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta. Msida (Malta). francesca.wirth@um.edu.mt.ORCID 0000-0002-3225-2363
Liberato CamilleriAssociate Professor and Head. Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Msida (Malta). liberato.camilleri@um.edu.mt.ORCID 0000-0001-8147-0116
Lilian M AzzopardiProfessor and Head. Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida (Malta). lilian.m.azzopardi@um.edu.mt.ORCID 0000-0002-3811-0761
Anthony Serracino-InglottDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida (Malta). anthony.serracino-inglott@um.edu.mt.ORCID 0000-0003-1196-0376
University of Science and Technology of China · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is highly prevalent in older persons and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Assessing appropriateness of drug therapy in AF may be facilitated by application of medication assessment tools (MATs).

objectiveTo develop, psychometrically evaluate and apply an innovative MAT for the long-term management of AF with particular relevance to older persons.

methodsKey recommendations from clinical practice guidelines for the long-term management of AF were selected and review criteria defining appropriate drug therapy were constructed as a 'qualifying statement' followed by a 'standard'. The developed MAT was given the designation MAT-AF. An application guide was compiled where justifications for non-adherence were specified. Content validity was tested by an expert group using a three-round Delphi process. Inter- and intra-observer reliability testing was conducted with agreement expressed by Cohen's kappa and application time measured to assess feasibility. MAT-AF was applied to 150 patients with a diagnosis of AF admitted to a rehabilitation hospital.

resultsMAT-AF consists of 15 criteria sectioned into antithrombotic, rate control and rhythm control therapy. Content validity was demonstrated for all criteria. Reliability was confirmed with kappa values of 0.84 and 0.91 for inter- and intra-observer agreements. Mean application time for the two observers was 3.9 and 2.4 minutes, which decreased significantly in the second application conducted after a four-week interval (p<0.001). Overall adherence to applicable criteria was 59.8%. Non-adherence was evident for prescription of anticoagulation in patients with a CHA

conclusionMAT-AF application highlighted key aspects which need to be addressed to improve patient care.

Indexed as

AgedAtrial FibrillationClinical AuditDrug TherapyInappropriate PrescribingValidation Studies as Topic

Identifiers

PMID29317917
PMCPMC5741994
OpenAlexW2773573858

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.