Deprescribing Safety in Primary Care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Deprescribing Safety in Primary Care: an interview study exploring the feasibility of a community pharmacy deprescribing safety net
IRAS ID
353681
Contact name
Daniel Okeowo
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
What is the issue?
As people get older, they often take many different medicines, which can sometimes do more harm than good. This is called problematic polypharmacy. It can lead to side effects, unnecessary treatments, and increased healthcare costs.What is deprescribing?
Deprescribing means carefully reducing or stopping medicines that may no longer be needed or might be causing harm. It ensures people take only the medicines they truly need. However, deprescribing can be complex. Stopping a medicine may cause withdrawal effects or a return of symptoms. It also requires regular follow-up to ensure it’s done safely, which can be time-consuming for healthcare teams.What is the aim of the study?
This study will explore whether community pharmacies can support safer deprescribing. Pharmacists, as experts in medicines, could act as a “safety net” by monitoring patients after medicines are reduced or stopped. This research will help design a larger future study to test the idea in practice.How will the study be carried out?
Two advisory groups—one of patients and one of healthcare professionals—will guide the research. Interviews will be conducted with patients, pharmacists, and prescribers to understand how community pharmacies might support deprescribing and what challenges might arise.What are the expected outcomes and impact?
The study will identify ways to safely reduce unnecessary medicines and improve patient safety. It could ease pressure on GPs by involving pharmacists in follow-up care. If successful, this approach could strengthen partnerships between healthcare providers and lead to better medicine use for older adults across the UK.REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NE/0141
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jul 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion