Spread and Scale of a Polypharmacy App

Medication overload is an epidemic causing widespread harm, particularly to older Canadians. While most prescriptions are intended to help people live longer and healthier lives, taking multiple medications can increase frailty, and lead to dangerous side effects.This is a mixed-methods study to determine the impact of MedReviewRx on prescribing in New Brunswick Nursing Homes (NBNHs). MedReviewRx is an application which allows MedSafer to analyze a person's medications and medical conditions and produce a report with suggestions for how to simplify medications and make them safer. MedSafer reports will be used to assist physicians and pharmacists identify potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and conduct medication reviews in NBNHs. The prevalence of PIMs in NBNHs before MedReviewRx will be measured and the change in PIM use after implementation will be calculated. User experience with MedSafer reports and MedReviewRx will be explored. Patient and Family attitudes towards deprescribing will also be studied. Investigators hypothesize that implementing MedReviewRx in New Brunswick Nursing Homes (NBNHs) will promote deprescribing which will lead to a decrease in the number of PIMs and a decrease in medication costs for older adults living in NBNHs.