Impact Analysis of a Pharmacist-Led Home-Medication Review Service Within an interprofessional Outreach Team.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of frail and homebound communitydwelling older patients receiving a home medication review (HMR) conducted by a home-visiting pharmacist; the types of drug therapy problems (DTPs) that were identified; the types of clinical interventions being recommended and their implementation rate. DESIGN: Retrospective, cross-sectional chart-review study using data from patient records. SETTING: Homes of patients receiving a HMR by a community pharmacy-based consulting home-visiting pharmacist. PATIENTS: 171 patients received a HMR between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2018. INTERVENTION: Patients received a comprehensive HMR by a home-visiting pharmacist working as a member of an interprofessional geriatrics team. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score, comorbidities, use of potentially inappropriate medications, DTPs identified, number and type of clinical interventions being recommended and successfully implemented. RESULTS: Patients had a mean age of 81 years (range: 54-100 years), majority were 65 years of age or older (95%), and female (59%). Fifty-three percent of patients had a CCI score of 1 to 2, and 93.6% were experiencing multi-morbidity and polypharmacy. Patients used an average of 13.0 medications, and 76.1% were found to be using at least 1 potentially inappropriate medication. In total, the home-visiting pharmacist identified 827 DTPs and made 1088 recommendations with a successful implementation rate of 74%. CONCLUSIONS: Frail and homebound communitydwelling older adults referred for a HMR were observed to be using a high number of medications with a significant number of DTPs identified. Offering HMRs was an effective method for a community-based pharmacist to make acceptable recommendations to optimize medication therapy management for frail older patients.

A Hospital Partnership with a Nursing Home Experiencing a COVID-19 Outbreak: Description of a Multiphase Emergency Response in Toronto, Canada.

Nursing homes have become "ground zero" for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in North America, with homes experiencing widespread outbreaks, resulting in severe morbidity and mortality among their residents. This article describes a 371-bed acute-care hospital's emergency response to a 126-bed nursing home experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak in Toronto, Canada. Like other healthcare system responses to COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes, this hospital-nursing home partnership can be characterized in several phases: (1) engagement, relationship, and trust building; (2) environmental scan, team building, and immediate response; (3) early-phase response; and (4) stabilization and transition period. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1376-1381, 2020.

Reducing unnecessary sedative-hypnotic use among hospitalised older adults.

BACKGROUND: Benzodiazepines and sedative hypnotics (BSH) have numerous adverse effects that can lead to negative outcomes, particularly in vulnerable hospitalised older adults. At our institution, over 15% of hospitalised older adults are prescribed sedative-hypnotics inappropriately. Of these prescriptions, 87% occurred at night to treat insomnia and almost 20% came from standard admission order sets. METHODS: We conducted a time-series study from January 2015 to August 2016 among medical and cardiology inpatients following the implementation in August 2015 of a sedative reduction bundle (education, removal of BSH from available admission order sets and non-pharmacological strategies to improve sleep). Preintervention period was January-July 2015 and postintervention period was August 2015-August 2016. A surgical ward served as control. Primary outcome was the proportion of BSH-naive (not on BSH prior to admission) patients 65 years or older discharged from medical and cardiology wards who were prescribed any new BSH for sleep in hospital. Data were analysed on statistical process control (SPC) p-charts with upper and lower limits set at 3δ using standard rules. Secondary measures included Patient-reported Median Sleep Quality scores and rates of fall and sedating drug prescriptions that may be used for sleep (dimenhydrinate). RESULTS: During the study period, there were 5805 and 1115 discharges from the intervention and control units, respectively. From the mean baseline BSH prescription rate of 15.8%, the postintervention period saw an absolute reduction of 8.0% (95% CI 5.6% to 10.3%; p<0.001). Adjusted for temporal trends, the intervention produced a 5.3% absolute reduction in the proportion of patients newly prescribed BSH (95% CI 5.6% to 10.3%; p=0.002). BSH prescription rates remained stable on the control ward. Patient-reported measure of sleep quality, falls and use of other sedating medications remained unchanged throughout the study duration. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive intervention bundle was associated with a reduction in inappropriate BSH prescriptions among older inpatients.

Detecting Delirium in Hospitalized Elderly Patients: A Review of Practice Compliance.

Background: The Ontario Senior Friendly Hospital Strategy recognizes delirium prevention and management as a top priority and recommends implementation of delirium screening as well as management protocols. This strategy proposes that hospitals monitor 2 specific indicators: (1) rate of baseline delirium screening and (2) rate of hospital-acquired delirium. Objective: To (1) determine compliance with the Ontario Senior Friendly Hospital Strategy indicators; (2) describe the use of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for management of delirious patients; and (3) identify predictors of screening compliance. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients aged ≥65 years admitted to 4 different inpatient units for ≥48 hours. Data were extracted for 7 two-month time blocks chosen between September 2010 and October 2013, following the implementation of various geriatric and delirium related initiatives at the hospital. Results: A total of 786 patients met study inclusion criteria. Overall, 68.2% had baseline delirium screening (indicator 1), with screening rates increasing over time (P < .001). Inpatient unit and year of study were both statistically significant predictors of delirium screening. Among those screened, the overall rate of hospital-acquired delirium was 17.2% (indicator 2). Early mobilization and device removal were the most common nonpharmacological interventions, while initiation of an antipsychotic and discontinuation of benzodiazepines were the most common pharmacological interventions. Conclusions: Although the rates of baseline delirium screening have significantly increased over the sampled time period, rates are still below the averages referenced in other literature. Our study suggests we need additional efforts to improve compliance with delirium screening in our institution.

High Prevalence of Inappropriate Benzodiazepine and Sedative Hypnotic Prescriptions among Hospitalized Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Benzodiazepines and sedative hypnotics are commonly used to treat insomnia and agitation in older adults despite significant risk. A clear understanding of the extent of the problem and its contributors is required to implement effective interventions. OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of hospitalized older adults who are inappropriately prescribed benzodiazepines or sedative hypnotics, and to identify patient and prescriber factors associated with increased prescriptions. DESIGN: Single-center retrospective observational study. SETTING: Urban academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Medical-surgical inpatients aged 65 or older who were newly prescribed a benzodiazepine or zopiclone. MEASUREMENTS: Our primary outcome was the proportion of patients who were prescribed a potentially inappropriate benzodiazepine or sedative hypnotic. Potentially inappropriate indications included new prescriptions for insomnia or agitation/anxiety. We used a multivariable random-intercept logistic regression model to identify patient- and prescriber-level variables that were associated with potentially inappropriate prescriptions. RESULTS: Of 1308 patients, 208 (15.9%) received a potentially inappropriate prescription. The majority of prescriptions, 254 (77.4%), were potentially inappropriate. Of these, most were prescribed for insomnia (222; 87.4%) and during overnight hours (159; 62.3%). Admission to a surgical or specialty service was associated with significantly increased odds of potentially inappropriate prescription compared to the general internal medicine service (odds ratio [OR], 6.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.70-16.17). Prescription by an attending physician or fellow was associated with significantly fewer prescriptions compared to first-year trainees (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.08-0.93). Nighttime prescriptions did not reach significance in initial bivariate analyses but were associated with increased odds of potentially inappropriate prescription in our regression model (OR, 4.48; 95% CI, 2.21-9.06). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of newly prescribed benzodiazepines and sedative hypnotics were potentially inappropriate and were primarily prescribed as sleep aids. Future interventions should focus on the development of safe sleep protocols and education targeted at first-year trainees.Journal of Hospital Medicine 2017;12:310-316.