Effects of a pharmacist's medication review in nursing homes - Randomised controlled trial

Background Older people in nursing and residential homes often have complex disabilities and behavioural disturbances. Recent publicity has highlighte d the dangers of medication in this group. and controls over prescribing ha ve been suggested. Aims To investigate the effect of a review of medication by a pharmacist. Method An 8-month prospective trial of an active medication review by a pha rmacist was carried out on 330 residents in nursing homes in Manchester Results The intervention group experienced greater deterioration in cogniti ve function and behavioural disturbance than the control group, but the cha nges in depression and quality of life were similar for both groups. The nu mber of drugs prescribed fell in the intervention group, but not in the con trol group, with a corresponding saving in drug costs. The number of deaths was significantly smaller in the intervention homes during the interventio n period (4 v. 14) but not overall during the study period as a whole (26 v . 28), Conclusion This clinical intervention reduced the number of medicines presc ribed to elderly people in nursing homes. with minimal impact on their morb idity and mortality. Declaration of interest The study was funded by the North West NHS Executiv e.