Reducing medication regimen complexity: a controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if a visual intervention (medication grid) delivered to physicians can reduce medication regimen complexity.


METHODS
Nonrandomized, controlled trial.


METHODS
Veterans Affairs medical center.


METHODS
Eight hundred thirty-six patients taking at least 5 medications at the time of admission and the 48 teams of physicians and students on the general medicine inpatient service.


METHODS
For intervention patients, a medication grid was created that displayed all of the patients' medicines and the times of administration for 1 week. This grid was delivered to the admitting resident soon after admission.


RESULTS
For the patients of each team of physicians, we calculated the change in the average number of medications and doses from admission to discharge. The number of medications in the intervention group decreased by 0.92 per patient, and increased by 1.65 in the control group (P <.001). The mean number of doses per day in the intervention group decreased by 2.47 per patient and increased by 3.83 in the control group (P <.001).


CONCLUSIONS
This simple intervention had a significant impact on medication regimen complexity in this population. Apparently, physicians were able to address polypharmacy when the issue was brought to their attention.
Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. muir0002@mc.duke.edu
A J
AJ
Muir
L L
LL
Sanders
W E
WE
Wilkinson
K
K
Schmader
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008510:Medication Systems, Hospital; D008875:Middle Aged; D019338:Polypharmacy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'