Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39803917›Full record

ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2025

'You would rather not fill your body with pills'-patient perspectives on polypharmacy and medication reviews by pharmacists in general practice.

Josefine Graabæk Als, Janus Laust Thomsen, Sabrina Storgaard Sørensen, Søren Paaske Johnsen, Camilla Hoffmann Merrild

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2025. 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
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

  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.

Josefine Graabæk AlsCenter for General Practice, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Janus Laust ThomsenCenter for General Practice, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-0745-6815
Sabrina Storgaard SørensenDanish Center for Health Service Research, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Søren Paaske JohnsenDanish Center for Health Service Research, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Camilla Hoffmann MerrildCenter for General Practice, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-2444-3311

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPolypharmacy is widespread. The demographic shift toward older patients receiving multiple medications increases risk and drug-related problems in these patients.

objectiveTo investigate patient perspectives on polypharmacy and the experienced effects of medication reviews by pharmacists in general practice.

methodsTwenty-two semi-structured interviews with patients with polypharmacy (>5 medications) from 6 different general practice clinics in the North Denmark region. The interviewees were from the intervention arm of a randomized clinical trial and had received a medication review with a pharmacist in addition to the usual annual check-up in general practice. Participants were interviewed at baseline (no later than 2 weeks after the medication review) and again at follow-up (6 months after the medication review). The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed with an inductive approach.

resultsThe patients' narratives show that they face many difficulties in their everyday lives, making it hard for them to live up to society's ideal of what it is to live a healthy life. The interviewees were generally positive toward the intervention and felt comfortable having a pharmacist conduct the medication review in their usual general practice clinic. Some interviewees gained more insight into their medication from the review.

conclusionPatient narratives give a comprehensive understanding of the challenges of polypharmacy. Having pharmacists conduct medication reviews in general practice could ensure more time and focus on patients and their medication management. The combined knowledge of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists regarding thorough polypharmacy management is recommended.

Indexed as

General PracticeMedication ReconciliationPharmacistsPolypharmacyAdultAgedAged, 80 and overDenmarkFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedProfessional RoleQualitative Researchgeneral practicemedication reviewpatient perspectivespharmacistsPolypharmacy

Identifiers

PMID39803917
PMCPMC12090281

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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.