Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32494991›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of clinical pharmacy2020

Impact of a pharmacist-administered deprescribing intervention on nursing home residents: a randomized controlled trial.

Cathy Balsom, Nicole Pittman, Renee King, Debbie Kelly

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of clinical pharmacy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
4.5field-weighted citation impact, top 5% 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

35 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Withdrawal of antihypertensive drugs in older people.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
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  17. Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
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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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Cathy BalsomMedication Therapy Services Clinic, School of Pharmacy, Memorial University, St. John's, NF, Canada. catherineb@mun.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9003-5869
Nicole PittmanMedication Therapy Services Clinic, School of Pharmacy, Memorial University, St. John's, NF, Canada.
Renee KingSt. Patrick's Mercy Home, St. John's, NF, Canada.
Debbie KellyMedication Therapy Services Clinic, School of Pharmacy, Memorial University, St. John's, NF, Canada.
Memorial University of Newfoundland · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background Polypharmacy is prevalent among long-term care residents in Canada, with 48.4% receiving ten or more different medications and 40.7% chronically prescribed potentially inappropriate medications. Objective We implemented a pharmacist-administered deprescribing program in a long-term care facility to determine if the number of medications taken per resident could be reduced.

settingA long-term care facility in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada from February 2017 to February 2018.

methodResidents were randomized to receive either a deprescribing-focused medication review by a pharmacist or usual care. Main outcome measure Change in the number of medications at 3 and 6 months. Results Forty-five residents enrolled in the study (n = 22 intervention, n = 23 control). Seventy-eight deprescribing recommendations were made, and 85.1% were successfully implemented. The average number of medications taken by residents in the intervention group was 2.68 less than the control group (p < 0.02; 95% CI - 4.284, - 1.071) at 3 months and 2.88 less (p = 0.02, 95% CI - 4.543, - 1.112) at 6 months. In 14.9% of cases, a medication had to be restarted after deprescribing was attempted because symptoms returned.

conclusionA pharmacist-led deprescribing intervention can reduce the number of unnecessary and potentially harmful medications taken by LTC residents.

Indexed as

DeprescriptionsNursing HomesAgedAged, 80 and overCanadaFemaleHumansInappropriate PrescribingMalePharmaceutical ServicesPharmacistsPolypharmacyPotentially Inappropriate Medication ListProfessional RoleCanadaDeprescribingElderlyGeriatricsInterprofessional collaborationLong-term care homesPharmacy servicesPolypharmacy

Identifiers

PMID32494991
OpenAlexW3031201479

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.