McGill researchers are developing a digital tool to reduce unnecessary drug use

Scientists from McGill University have developed and licensed a digital tool that helps safely reduce the use of drugs by patients that may be unnecessary or even harmful to them.

When clinicians review the patient’s file, the MedSafer Flag potentially inappropriate drugs. In a new clinical trial, the software has helped to write such drugs in 36 percent of long -term care inhabitants, almost three times, as in the case of reviews without a tool.

Sometimes we blame aging for memory loss or mobility problems when drugs are a real culprit. I saw patients not react to again after stopping the sedative. “

Dr. Emily McDonald, main author, associate professor at McGill’s Department of Medicine, Scientist at the Research McGill University Health Center (Institute) and attending a doctor at McGill University Health Center

She added that almost two -thirds of Canadian seniors take five or more medicine a day, and this number is much higher in long -term care.

Like a tool fits routine care

Drugs are usually checked every three months in long -term care homes, but scholars say that there is no standard approach to repredit.

MedSafer works as a control list for clinicians. He scans a list of resident drugs along with their illness, flags medicines that may not be proper anymore and provides tips on how to stop medicine or safer alternatives.

The software was jointly developed by McDonald and dr Todd Lee, an associate professor at McGill’s Department of Medicine and Scientist at the Institute. The study was attended by 725 inhabitants in five long -term care homes in Nowy Braunschwik, who took on average 10 drugs.

Problem with “rewriting cascades”

Drugs often accumulate with time and are sometimes prescribed to counteract the side effects of other drugs, a pattern called “prescribing cascade”.

“Some drugs can increase the risk of falls, confusion and hospitalization,” Lee said. “The more you take, the more side effects and interactions you can have.”

The goal of the scientists is to see how MedSafer is integrated with primary care so that it arranges excessively before the patients passed through long -term care patients.

“This should be a new standard of care for older adults,” said McDonald. “Nobody should be on a medicine that causes more harm than good.”

About the study

“Emily McDonald and Todd Lee et al.

The research was financed by a healthy pilot Pilot Project, a joint initiative of the Canada Public Health Agency and the government of the new Braunschwik.

McDonald and Lee are co -founders of MedSafer Corp., which licenses the software used in the study.