Developing a way of improving the prescribing of many drugs for older people who live in their own home and are cared for by general practitioners

Development of an intervention to improve appropriate polypharmacy for older people in primary care

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN18176245

Enrollment

Registered

2016-01-22

Start date

2015-06-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2023-02-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Polypharmacy in older people Not Applicable Polypharmacy in older people

Interventions

A feasibility study is conducted in order to assess the usability and acceptability of an intervention to improve the prescribing of appropriate polypharmacy for older patients in primary care. The in

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: General practice inclusion criteria: 1. Located in Northern Ireland 2. The practice was willing to implement the study 3. Individual general practitioners (GPs) willing to provide written informed consent. Patient inclusion criteria: 1. Over the age of 65 2. Receiving four or more regular medicines 3. Not cognitively impaired 4. Resident in the community

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Not meeting the inclusion criteria 2. Not proving written informed consent

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. The usability and acceptability of the intervention for GPs is determined using a feedback questionnaire which recruited GPs complete at baseline (after medication reviews during scheduled consultations) 2. The usability and acceptability of the intervention for patients is determined using a feedback questionnaire which recruited patients complete at baseline (after medication reviews during scheduled consultations)	—

Measure

Time frame

1. The usability and acceptability of the intervention for GPs is determined using a feedback questionnaire which recruited GPs complete at baseline (after medication reviews during scheduled consultations) 2. The usability and acceptability of the intervention for patients is determined using a feedback questionnaire which recruited patients complete at baseline (after medication reviews during scheduled consultations)

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Feasibility of recruitment procedures is assessed by determining whether recruitment targets have been met at the end of the study 2. Feasibility of the data collection procedures is determined by applying validated assessments of prescribing appropriateness (i.e. STOPP/START criteria, Medication Appropriateness Index) and prescribing regimen complexity (i.e. Medication Regimen Complexity Index) to clinical data extracted from recruited patients’ medical records at baseline and follow-up (four weeks after date of scheduled consultations)	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Feasibility of recruitment procedures is assessed by determining whether recruitment targets have been met at the end of the study 2. Feasibility of the data collection procedures is determined by applying validated assessments of prescribing appropriateness (i.e. STOPP/START criteria, Medication Appropriateness Index) and prescribing regimen complexity (i.e. Medication Regimen Complexity Index) to clinical data extracted from recruited patients’ medical records at baseline and follow-up (four weeks after date of scheduled consultations)

—

Countries

Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 9, 2026