Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. in Pharmaceutical Science

Department

Pharmacy Administration

First Advisor

Dr. Sujith Ramachandran

Second Advisor

Dr. John Bentley

Third Advisor

Dr. Yi Yang

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

Objectives: To describe and identify the socio-behavioral factors predicting willingness towards deprescribing among older adults with osteoporosis.Design, Setting, and Participants: For this population-based survey study of US Medicare beneficiaries, data was obtained from the Medication Attitudes Module distributed to the participants in Round 6 (2015) of the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Our study population consisted to respondents who were diagnosed with osteoporosis in round 6 or earlier and who responded to the Medication Attitude Module. Main outcome and Measures: Response to the statement “I would like to reduce the number of medicines I am taking” was the main outcome of interest. The predictor variables were chosen based on the Health Belief Model. The predictor variables in the study included demographic variables and other patient characteristics. Results: Of the 555 Medicare beneficiaries included in the study, 483 were women (88.18%, weighted) and the majority were 65-74 years old (n=149, weighted 41.66%). Most of our cohort i.e., 336 respondents (62.86%, weighted) were receptive towards wanting to reduce the number of medicines they are consuming. In our multivariable logistic regression model, we found that odds of wanting to reduce the number of medications for those taking 3-10 medications relative to those taking at least 2 medications were significantly more (OR 2.42; 95% CI,1.20-4.86). Similarly, the odds of wanting to reduce the number of medications for those taking more than 10 medications relative to those taking at least 2 medications were also significantly higher (OR 14.66; 95% CI, 5.36-40.11). Additionally, respondents who were 85 years and older had significantly lower odds of wanting to reduce the number of medications relative to respondents aged between 65 to 75 years (OR 0.45; 95% CI, 0.23-0.89). Conclusion: The management of treatment among older adults is challenging, mainly because the problem of polypharmacy is common among them. Healthcare providers need to take into consideration the patient’s views regarding their treatment regimen. This study has filled an important gap in the field of deprescribing by identifying the potential factors that may guide the willingness of patients diagnosed with osteoporosis towards deprescribing.

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