Short summary

More people are using increasing amounts of medication, making management a complex task for individuals. This project aims to adjust and evaluate the Canadian "Know Your Medication" program for Danish users to improve understanding and usage of medications. The goal is to reduce medication errors and improve communication between users and healthcare professionals. The course will be continuous evaluated by healthcare professionals and the target group to adjust to a Danish setting.

Rationale

"Medication rarely needs to be taken for a lifetime.". This is how the Danish Health Authority initiated a campaign in the spring of 2023 aimed at encouraging Danish medication users to reflect more on their use of medication. The campaign lists five questions that medication users can beneficially ask their doctor, such as which side effects to be aware of. The idea behind the campaign is that citizens with relevant knowledge about their treatment will be more likely to seek medical advice and have their medication tailored, which can help ensure that everyone only takes medication that is necessary, safe, and effective. However, studies have shown that older people particularly have limited knowledge about their medication and often do not know how to best discuss it with their doctors. In this project, we aim to translate, adjust, further develop, and evaluate the Canadian "Know Your Medication" learning program for Danish users. The goal of creating a Danish version is to improve medication understanding and usage among Danish patients and their caretakers, ultimately reducing medication errors and issues, while improving communication between patients and healthcare professionals. The project will be divided into three phases: (1) Translation and pilot testing, (2) Scaling and further development, and (3) Establishment of an online learning platform. Throughout the project the course material will be evaluated by healthcare professionals and the target group. We also gather baseline data on the participants of the course to map the characteristics of the participants.

Description of the cohort

Patients at age 65 or above, as well as caretakers for said patients.

Data and biological material

Questionnaire data as well as oral evaluation at the courses.

Collaborating researchers and departments

Hospital Pharmacy Funen, Odense University Hospital

• Carina Lundby Olesen (cand.pharm, ph.d)

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Medicine, SDU Odense

• Anton Pottegård (cand.pharm., ph.d., dr.med.)

Publications associated with the project

Ailabouni NJ, Rebecca Weir K, Reeve E, Turner JT, Wilson Norton J, Gray SL. Barriers and enablers of older adults initiating a deprescribing conversation. Patient Educ Couns. Published online June 2021:S0738399121004201.

Turner JP, Tannenbaum C. Older Adults' Awareness of Deprescribing: A Population-Based Survey. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2017;65(12):2691-2696.

Thompson W, Jacobsen IT, Jarbøl DE, Haastrup P, Nielsen JB, Lundby C. Nursing Home Residents' Thoughts on Discussing Deprescribing of Preventive Medications. Drugs Aging. 2020;37(3):187-192.

Graabaek T, Lundby C, Ryg J, Søndergaard J, Pottegård A, Nielsen DS. 'I simply don't know, because I don't know which drugs I get': Perspectives on deprescribing among older adults with limited life expectancy and their relatives. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2021;128(1):115-127.