Deprescribing Medications for People with Dementia
Author Information
Author(s): Naik Aanand
Primary Institution: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, United States
Hypothesis
Can Patient Priorities Care (PPC) facilitate deprescribing unnecessary medications for people living with dementia (PlwD)?
Conclusion
Using Patient Priorities Care can help identify health priorities that lead to more appropriate deprescribing for people living with dementia.
Supporting Evidence
- People living with dementia average 8 daily medications compared to 3 for those without dementia.
- Deprescribing is an approach to reduce polypharmacy for people living with dementia.
- Patient Priorities Care helps align medication use with what matters most to patients and their care partners.
Takeaway
People with dementia often take too many medications, and we need to find a better way to help them take only what they really need.
Methodology
The study used Patient Priorities Care to guide deprescribing unnecessary medications among people living with dementia.
Potential Biases
Care partners may have concerns about stopping medications that help manage symptoms, and clinicians may overlook the tradeoffs of stopping medications.
Limitations
The study's scope was narrow, focusing on ambulatory care contexts for patients with mild to moderate dementia.
Participant Demographics
People living with dementia and their care partners.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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