SynthesisJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2026
Interventions to Optimize Medication Management in Older Adults: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews.
Synthesis in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 2 of them syntheses 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
2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Medication safety in older adults in India: an integrative PhD synthesis of direct evidence and contextual implementation evidence.Global health action · 2026Pooled it
- Deprescribing preventive medications in older adults with advanced frailty, dementia, or limited life expectancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveMedication management in older adults with multimorbidity and polypharmacy is inherently challenging. This umbrella review consolidates evidence on interventions aimed at mitigating these challenges to promote safe and effective medication use.
methodsThis was an umbrella review. A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL until 2024 to find relevant systematic reviews of interventions to improve medication management among older adults aged ≥ 60 years (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024607956). Eligible systematic reviews focused on pharmacist-led reviews, deprescribing protocols, educational programs, clinical decision support systems (CDSS), and community-based initiatives. Data were extracted, and methodological quality was evaluated using the AMSTAR-2 tool. Descriptive statistics were applied, and the credibility of the evidence was determined. Outcomes included medication optimization, clinical, healthcare utilization and cost, and acceptability of the intervention among physicians and patients.
resultsSeventy-one systematic reviews with > 1.5 million cumulative participants were included. According to the AMSTAR-2 assessment, the included systematic reviews demonstrated variable methodological quality, with many rated as moderate to high risk of bias. Pharmacist-led reviews and deprescribing interventions both indicated significant improvement in medication appropriateness. Multidisciplinary approaches and CDSS could improve adherence and prescribing practices. Improvements in clinical outcomes, such as quality of life, cognitive function, and mortality, were inconsistent. Economic evaluations showed mixed results. Implementation challenges were identified, including scalability and resource allocation. Evidence was convincing in reducing the number of medications, inappropriate prescribing, and falls.
conclusionsPharmacist-led and multidisciplinary medication reviews showed the most consistent benefits, improving medication appropriateness and reducing falls and unplanned healthcare use. Interventions like education, policy and guideline measures, and community-based strategies demonstrated mixed or modest effects, often limited to adherence or prescribing quality. Overall evidence strength was limited by methodological heterogeneity. Future high-quality, context-specific research with standardized outcomes is needed in this regard.
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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.