Effectiveness of medication reviews in identifying and reducing medication-related problems among people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review.
Amal Nabhanizadeh, Alyt Oppewal, Fleur Heleen Boot and 1 others
PMID 30793852WHAT IT FOUND
Medication reviews identified many problems in people with intellectual disabilities, but evidence that they actually reduce these problems or improve health is weak.
Reviews led to fewer drugs and lower doses, but no study measured patient well-being or long-term outcomes.
Key findings
01Eight studies showed that multidisciplinary medication reviews can identify medication-related problems, with prevalence rates ranging from 34% to 100% of patients or medications.
02Reviews led to reductions in polypharmacy and medication doses, such as a decrease in long-term medication therapy from 76% to 59% in one study.
03No included study measured the effect of medication reviews on patient health outcomes or quality of life, so it is unknown if these changes made patients better.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review included no randomized controlled trials. Sample sizes in the included studies were small. All participants lived in residential settings, so results do not apply to people with intellectual disabilities living in the community. No study measured health outcomes or quality of life, only medication changes. Study quality ranged from low to moderate (0.32 to 0.86 on a 0-1 scale).
Declared interests
No funding sources or conflicts of interest were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that reducing the number of medications automatically improves patient health. The studies showed fewer drugs and lower doses, but none measured whether patients actually felt better or had fewer side effects as a result.