title: Regular clinical review needed for patients using multiple medications.
abstract: Elderly residents of care homes are often frail with degenerative health problems. They take multiple medications giving them an increased risk of adverse drug events. Their dependency and frequent cognitive impairment undermine their capacity to report symptoms. They therefore need regular review and adjustment of treatment. The purpose of this randomised controlled trial was to measure the impact of a clinical medical review conducted by a pharmacist. The intervention group had a much higher medication change rate than the control group but this did not lead to a reduction in the number of items per patient.