An Intervention to Reduce Inappropriate Medications in Long-term Care Residents With Severe Dementia

The OptimaMed Intervention to Reduce Inappropriate Medications in Long-term Care Residents With Severe Dementia: Results From a Quasi-experimental Intervention Study

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03539276

Acronym

OptimaMed

Enrollment

Registered

2018-05-29

Start date

2014-03-31

Completion date

2015-12-31

Last updated

2018-06-01

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

Conditions

Dementia, Inappropriate Prescribing

Keywords

quality improvement, long term care, polypharmacy

Brief summary

An education intervention to promote medication reviews and interdisciplinary discussions within long-term care facilities with the aim of improving medication regimen among residents with severe dementia

Detailed description

A quasi-experimental study in three long-term care facilities. The intervention comprises an information leaflet for families of residents, a 90-minute knowledge exchange session for general practitioners, pharmacists and nurses and a list of generally, sometimes, and exceptionally appropriate medications for severe dementia residents

Interventions

BEHAVIORALKnowledge exchange

OptimaMed

Study design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

SEQUENTIAL

Primary purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Masking description

It was unlikely that participants could foresee whether or when their medications have been reviewed or modified.

Intervention model description

Pre-post study

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

65 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* diagnosis of dementia of any etiology * severe dementia

Exclusion criteria

* admission less than 2 months before intervention

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Medication regimen	Four months post intervention	Active prescriptions

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Level of pain	Four months post intervention	Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC). The French version of the PACSLAC tool is a validated observational scale in use in Quebec to assess discomfort / pain. One point is added to the score for each PACSLAC item (n=60) observed over a 15-minute observation period; the sum of the four 15-minute observation periods gives the total score. The total score ranges from zero to sixty where zero represents no discomfort or pain and sixty a very high level of discomfort or pain.
Level of agitation	Four months post intervention	Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory () measures level of agitation. Sum of the number of times the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory items were observed during the four 15-minute observation periods.. The total score ranges from zero to one hundred where zero represents no agitation and one hundred a very high level of agitation.

Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026