The Impact of Implementing a Pharmacist-led Deprescribing Program on Medication Adherence among Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Background: One way to target polypharmacy and inappropriate medication in hemodialysis (HD) patients is with medication deprescribing. Objective: To assess the impact of implementing a pharmacist-led deprescribing program on medication adherence among HD patients. Method: A prospective interventional, one-group pretest-posttest-only design study was conducted at a hemodialysis center in Wasit Governorate, Iraq. Medication reconciliation followed by medication review based on the deprescribing program was done for all eligible patients, and the patients were monitored for three months for any possible complications. Results: Two hundred and seventy patients were screened for eligibility. Only one hundred and eighteen were enrolled in the deprescribing program. The median age was 51.5 years, 56.8% were males, and hypertension was the most common etiology for their chronic kidney disease (CKD); 78% had comorbidities. After deprescription, there was a significant reduction in the number of medications from 6.0 to 4.0 and a reduction in the number of pills from 7.0 to 5.0. Medication adherence accessed using the Arabic version of Morisky, Green, and Levine’s (MGL) adherence scale also had a significant reduction from 2.0 to 1.0. Conclusion: A pharmacist-led deprescribing program is a successful strategy for decreasing the number of medications and daily pills prescribed while simultaneously improving hemodialysis patients' adherence to their regimens without compromising the patient’s safety.