SynthesisBritish journal of clinical pharmacology2019
Availability and readability of patient education materials for deprescribing: An environmental scan.
Synthesis in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.
- Availability and readability of patient education materials for deprescribing: An environmental scan.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2019Pooled it
- Integrating patient education on deprescribing into care delivery: Learnings from the Optimize pragmatic trial.Patient education and counseling · 2026Trial
- Implementing a conversation-starter tool to empower people with dementia and carers to have medicine conversations: a pilot and feasibility study.The Gerontologist · 2026Article
- Innovations Implemented to Improve Access to Outpatient Rehabilitation Services for Persons Presenting Physical Disabilities: Results of an Environmental Scan in Québec, Canada.Health services insights · 2026Article
- Evaluating ChatGPT's ability to simplify scientific abstracts for clinicians and the public.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Engaging Patients in Discussions About Medication Deprescribing.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Article
- Appropriateness of Web-Based Resources for Home Blood Pressure Measurement and Their Alignment With Guideline Recommendations, Readability, and End User Involvement: Environmental Scan of Web-Based Resources.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Article
- Older Adults' Attitudes Toward Deprescribing in 14 Countries.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Latent Class Analysis Identifies Four Distinct Patient Deprescribing Typologies Among Older Adults in Four Countries.Innovation in aging · 2025Article
- Co-Designing a Consult Patient Decision Aid for Continuation Versus Deprescribing Cholinesterase Inhibitors in People Living with Dementia.Drugs & aging · 2024Article
- Strategies for Identifying Patients for Deprescribing of Blood Pressure Medications in Routine Practice: An Evidence Review.Current hypertension reports · 2024Review
- Article
- Article
- Enhancing effective healthcare communication in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: Considerations for research, teaching, policy, and practice.PEC innovation · 2023Article
- Optimizing pharmacotherapy and deprescribing strategies in older adults living with multimorbidity and polypharmacy: EuGMS SIG on pharmacology position paper.European geriatric medicine · 2023Article
- Assessing the competency of pharmacists in writing effective curriculum vitae for job applications: a cross-sectional study and readability index evaluation.BMC medical education · 2023Article
- Selfie-Related Incidents: Narrative Review and Media Content Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Review
- What makes a multidisciplinary medication review and deprescribing intervention for older people work well in primary care? A realist review and synthesis.BMC geriatrics · 2023Review
- Assessing the Readability of Online Patient Education Materials in Obstetrics and Gynecology Using Traditional Measures: Comparative Analysis and Limitations.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Free Online Decision Tools to Support Parents Making Decisions About Their Children's Chronic Health Condition: An Environmental Scan.Academic pediatrics · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsTo identify and evaluate content and readability of freely available online deprescribing patient education materials (PEMs).
methodsSystematic review of PEMs using MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and The Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews from inception to 25 September 2017 to identify PEMs. Additionally, deprescribing researchers and health professionals were surveyed to identify additional materials. Known repositories of materials were searched followed by a systematic Google search (22-28 January 2018). Materials were evaluated using an approach informed by the Patient Education Material Assessment Tool and the International Patient Decision Aids Standards Inventory. Readability of text-based materials was assessed using the US-based Gunning-Fog Index and Flesch-Kincaid Grade level.
resultsForty-eight PEMs were identified. PEMs addressing deprescribing of medications for symptom control (81%) were most common. Preventative medications were rarely addressed and material (39%) focused on older people. Only 37% of PEMs provided information about both potential benefits (e.g. reducing risk of side effects) and harms (e.g. withdrawal symptoms, increased risk of disease) of deprescribing, while 40% focussed on benefits only. Readability indices indicated an average minimum reading level of Grade 12. Option Grids and Decision Aids (mean reading level below Grade 10) were most suitable for people with average literacy levels.
conclusionsOver 1/3 of deprescribing PEMs present potential benefits and harms of deprescribing indicating most of the freely available materials are not balanced. Most PEMs are pitched above average reading levels making them inaccessible for low health literacy populations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.