Deprescribing in Ontario Long-term Care Framework
In Canada, older adults living in long-term care (LTC) homes experience polypharmacy at higher rates than their community-living counterparts and strategies to reduce polypharmacy are urgently needed.
This research project began as an environmental scan with Ontario LTC stakeholders to explore current deprescribing knowledge and practices. Using insights gained, our team held two multi-stakeholder Forums in June 2019 and January 2020 to identify behaviours that would support deprescribing in LTC and actions that would support those behaviours. Results of the environmental scan and first Forum are outlined in our open access “LTC June Forum Report”.
Several committees then developed tools and resources to facilitate shared decision-making in medication management (including choices around deprescribing) and help people observe for signs and symptoms that might prompt review for deprescribing. More about these resources can be found here.
The overarching goal and vision of this initiative are to create an environment in LTC homes across Ontario where deprescribing is implemented into daily medication management practices.
Lead: Dr. Lisa McCarthy, Trillium Health Partners
Co-lead: Dr. Barbara Farrell, Bruyère Research Institute
Contact: [email protected]
Partnership (2018-2024): Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care at Bruyère.
Farrell B, Rousse-Grossman J, Santamaria C, McCarthy LM. Applying the Behaviour Change Wheel to support deprescribing in long-term care: Qualitative interviews with stakeholder participants. Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, Volume 9 (March 2023) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2023.100256
McCarthy L, Farrell B, Howell P, Quast T. Supporting deprescribing in long-term care: An approach using stakeholder engagement, behavioural science and implementation planning. Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, Volume 7 (August 2022)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2022.100168
