OPen study: co-design and testing
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Optimising Pharmacist-led medication reviews in primary care (OPen): a qualitative study to co-design and test an optimised medication review for patients with long-term conditions.
IRAS ID
313644
Contact name
Miriam Craske
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research and Innovation Services
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 29 days
Research summary
An increasing number of people are diagnosed with long-term conditions and are prescribed medicines to manage these conditions. Medication reviews (MRs) are used to optimise medicines, improve health outcomes, and decrease medicines related problems. Although medication reviews are widely used in health care settings, there has not been a dramatic change in the the rate at which patients experience poor medicines outcomes such as adverse drug reactions and hospitalisations.
This research wants to understand how medication reviews by pharmacists are delivered in GP surgeries and community pharmacies. The research team then plans to design a document that will help pharmacists deliver MRs by outlining what they should do. This document will be tested by pharmacists in a small number of GP surgeries, on a limited number of patients.
The research team will use focus groups to understand how medication reviews are delivered. Then workshops will be used to design the document. When this document has been designed, it will be tested. Pharmacists and patients who have used this document will be interviewed to understand their thoughts and feelings about the process.
Pharmacists and GPs will be involved in the focus groups and workshops, alongside adult patients taking five or more medicines, who have previously received a medication review by a pharmacist in a GP surgery or community pharmacy.
It is anticipated that the study will run from June 2022 to December 2023
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EM/0160
Date of REC Opinion
15 Sep 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion