N/A
N=23
Standardized Patient-Centered Medication Review in Home Hospice
Hospices · Poly Pharmacy · Deprescriptions · Caregivers · Palliative Care
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03972163 ↗Enrolled (actual)
23
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
May 2025
Primary outcome: Primary: Intervention Training Completion by Hospice Staff — 17; 0 Participants
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- NIA Medication Management - Active Comparator (Behavioral); STOPPFrail (Screening Tool of Older Persons Prescriptions) (Behavioral); "Discontinuing Medication Appropriately" and "Understanding the Art of Communication about Deprescribing" (Behavioral); "Key Approaches to Support Informal Family Caregivers in Managing Medications" (Behavioral)
- Age
- Older Adult · 65+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- University of Massachusetts, Worcester
- Primary completion
- Dec 2022
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Intervention Training Completion by Hospice Staff |
17; 0 | — |
| PRIMARY Patient and Family Caregiver Eligibility Screens |
77; 184 | — |
| PRIMARY Patient and Family Caregiver Enrollment |
7; 15 | — |
| PRIMARY Completion of Primary Patient Outcome--Retention |
7; 15 | — |
| SECONDARY Family Caregiver Medication Administration Hassle Scale |
13.6; 31; 19.7; 37; 16.7; 36.1 | — |
| SECONDARY Medication Regimen Complexity Index |
39; 23.5; 43.5; 31.0; 43.3; 32.5 | — |
| SECONDARY Potential Adverse Event |
0; 0; 0; 0; 0; 0 | — |
Summary
This is a pilot cluster randomized trial that tests the effect of a novel intervention that trains hospice staff to 1. regularly review, simplify, and align patients' prescribed medications with their goals of care as their illness progresses, and 2. support family caregivers with education that empowers them to understand each medication's use, develop skills for safe administration, and 3. understand when stopping medications may be beneficial.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
Patient - Newly admitted home hospice enrollees, aged ≥65 years old with:
- 1. advanced life-limiting illness;
- 2. an estimated life expectancy of >1 month;
- 3. recent functional status decline (defined as change in Karnofsky Performance Status [KPS] to < 80% in prior 3 months);
- 4. polypharmacy (defined as ≥ 5 regularly scheduled medications [excluding antimicrobials]);
- 5. cognitive ability to provide informed consent based on a Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) score ≥6 OR, with a legally authorized representative who is willing and able to provide proxy consent.
Family ("any relative, partner, friend or neighbor who has a significant personal relationship with, and provides a broad range of assistance) Caregiver -
- self-identification as "usually" or "always" providing care to the eligible patient;
- English-speaking;
- telephone access; and
- cognitive ability to participate.
Exclusion Criteria
Patient:
- Imminent death;
- pain crisis;
- no family caregiver or health care proxy
Family Caregiver:
- no telephone access;
- cognitive impairment.
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03972163). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.