DBI - Tool for Medication Reviews in Older People

November 5, 2015 updated by: Katja Taxis, University of Groningen

Decreasing the Load? The Drug Burden Index - A Tool for Medication Reviews in Older People (the DBI TMO Study)

Older people often use medications with anticholinergic or sedative side effects which increase the risk of falling, fractures caused by falls and cognitive impairment. In the Netherlands, medication reviews are done by pharmacists in collaboration with the general practitioner to optimize medication use and reduce these adverse drug events. To maximize the benefits of medication reviews it is helpful to identify patients with high risk medication, yet few appropriate tools are available The Drug Burden Index (DBI) designed in Australia, calculates anticholinergic and sedative drug burden. This study evaluates whether the DBI can be used to identify patients with anticholinergic and sedative medication in need of a medication review. A clustered randomized controlled intervention study will be conducted. Per pharmacy (cluster), one pharmacist will perform the medication reviews. In each pharmacy, one half of eligible patients will be randomly allocated to the control group and the other half in the intervention group. Data will be collected at baseline and at follow-up, 3 months after the medication review has taken place. The study population includes community-dwelling patients aged ≥ 65, with polypharmacy (≥ 5 medications) and a DBI value ≥ 1 (n = 190) selected by 10 community pharmacists. The intervention consists of a structured 5-step multidisciplinary medication review (STRIP method) as described in the multidisciplinary guidelines of Dutch General Practitioners performed by the pharmacist in collaboration with the general practitioner. The main endpoint is the difference in proportion of patients having a decrease of the DBI ≥ 0.5 between the intervention and control group at 3 months follow up. Secondary outcomes are anticholinergic side effects, risk of falls, cognitive function, function of daily activity, hospital admission and mortality. All participants will be informed about the study and asked to provide informed consent. Data will be processed confidentially. Only the researcher will have access to the data. If required, the Dutch Inspection of Healthcare will also be granted access to the data for Inspection. The burden of patients will be kept at a minimum by trying to retrieve as much information as possible from patient's medical records and by using questionnaires and tests that were specifically developed for this population. In the investigators opinion, participation does not involve risks.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Older people often use medications with anticholinergic or sedative side effects which increase the risk of falling, fractures caused by falls and cognitive impairment. In the Netherlands medication reviews are done by pharmacists in collaboration with the general practitioner to optimize the medication use and reduce these adverse drug events. To maximize the benefits of medication reviews it is helpful to identify patients with high risk medication, yet there are few tools to identify patients in need of a medication review. The Drug Burden Index (DBI) is a tool, designed in Australia, that calculates the burden of anticholinergic and sedative medications, taking into account a patient's dose. The DBI could be a useful tool to identify high risk patients who could benefit from medication reviews. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether the DBI can be used as a tool to identify patients with anticholinergic/sedative medication in need of a medication review. A single blinded clustered randomized controlled intervention study. Every pharmacy forms a cluster and per pharmacy one pharmacist will perform the medication reviews. In each pharmacy, one half of eligible patients will be randomly allocated to the control group and the other half in the intervention group. There are two measurements: at baseline and at follow-up, 3 months after the medication review has taken place. The study population includes community-dwelling patients aged ≥ 65, with polypharmacy (≥ 5 medications) and a DBI value ≥ 1 (n = 190) selected by 10 community pharmacists. The intervention consists a structured 5-step multidisciplinary medication review (STRIP method) as described in the multidisciplinary guidelines of the Dutch General Practitioners Society (Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap, 2013) including the objective to reduce the DBI, performed by the pharmacist in collaboration with the general practitioner. The main endpoint is the difference in proportion of patients having a decrease of DBI ≥ 0.5 between the intervention and control group at follow up (3 months later). Secondary outcomes are the difference in proportion of patients having a DBI <1 between the intervention and control group at follow up (3 months later), the anticholinergic side effects, risk of falls, cognitive function, function of daily activity, hospital admission and mortality. All participants will be informed about the study. Informed consent will be asked from every participant. Data will be processed anonymously. Only the researcher will have access to the data. If required, the Dutch Inspection of Healthcare will also be granted access to the data for Inspection. The burden of patients will be kept at a minimum by trying to retrieve as much information as possible from patient's medical records and by using questionnaires and tests that were specifically developed for this population. In the investigators opinion, participation does not involve risks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
157

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
      • Groningen, Netherlands, PO Box 72 9700 AB
        • University of Groningen

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

65 years and older (OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • age ≥ 65,
  • living independently,
  • polypharmacy (≥ 5 medications),
  • Drug Burden Index ≥ 1
  • written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • patients who have a limited life expectancy (<3 months)
  • patients who urgently need a medication review and for whom postponing a medication review is unethical
  • insufficient command of the Dutch language
  • patients with advanced dementia.
  • patients who received a medication review < 9 months before recruitment date

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: SINGLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
EXPERIMENTAL: Medication Review
Structured 5-step multidisciplinary medication review (STRIP method) performed by the pharmacist in collaboration with the general practitioner.
Procedure: Medication Review
A structured 5-step multidisciplinary medication review (STRIP method) as described in the multidisciplinary guidelines by the Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap (2013) including the objective to reduce the DBI, performed by the pharmacist in collaboration with the general practitioner
NO_INTERVENTION: Delayed Medication Review
Patients in the control group will not undergo a medication review during the study period (delayed medication review).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
DBI decrease
Time Frame: 3 months
The primary outcome is the difference in proportion of patients having a decrease of DBI ≥ 0.5 between the intervention and control group at follow-up.
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Anticholinergic side effects
Time Frame: 3 months
Anticholinergic side effects, measured by the UKU side effect rating scale
3 months
Sedating side effects
Time Frame: 3 months
Sedating side effects measured by a validated patient-reported adverse drug event questionnaire
3 months
Risk of falls
Time Frame: 3 months
Risk of falls, measured by patients reports fall incidents and the "Up & Go" test to measure a patient's mobility
3 months
Cognitive Function
Time Frame: 3 months
Cognitive function, measured by the Seven Minute Screen", the "Trailmaking Test A & B" and the "Digit Symbol Coding Test" of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III
3 months
Activities of Daily Living
Time Frame: 3 months
Assessed with the Groningen Activities Restriction Scale [Dutch: Groningen Activiteiten Restrictie Schaal]
3 months
Quality of Life
Time Frame: 3 months
as measured with the EQ-5D-3L
3 months
Hospitalisation
Time Frame: 3 months
Incident hospital admission inferred from patients' medical records
3 months
Mortality
Time Frame: 3 months
Incident mortality inferred from patients' medical records
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Groningen

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Katja Taxis, PhD, University of Groningen

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2014

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2015

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 11, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 15, 2014

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 16, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 6, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 5, 2015

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • the DBI TMO Study

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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