Development, validation and evaluation of an electronic pharmacological tool: The Drug Burden Index Calculator©.

Background: The Drug Burden Index (DBI) is a pharmacological risk assessment tool that measures the total exposure to anticholinergic and sedative medicines, which may impair function in older adults. A computerized clinical decision support system (CCDSS) for DBI has not been previously developed or evaluated.

Objectives: (a) Develop a CCDSS that calculates and generates reports on DBI; (b) validate the CCDSS for accuracy; and (c) evaluate the CCDSS for use in clinical practice.

Education and Assessment of Pharmacists on the Use of the Drug Burden Index in Older Adults Using a Continuing Professional Development Education Method.

Objective. To educate pharmacists and assess their knowledge of and ability to calculate the Drug Burden Index (DBI) using a continuing professional development (CPD) intervention. Methods.

Health Care Practitioners' Perspectives on Deprescribing Anticholinergic and Sedative Medications in Older Adults.

Background: Anticholinergic and sedative (ACh-Sed) medications are commonly prescribed for older adults and are associated with adverse events.

Objectives: (1) To investigate perspectives of health care practitioners (HCPs) surrounding deprescribing (withdrawal) of ACh-Sed medications in older adults; (2) to assess HCPs' perspectives on the design and implementation of a report on a patient's exposure to ACh-Sed medications using the Drug Burden Index (DBI) pharmacological tool.

Methods: This was a qualitative study using focus groups with purposive samples of accredited pharmacists (APs), general practitioners (GPs), and specialist physicians (SPs).

Drug Burden Index in older adults: theoretical and practical issues.

Anticholinergic and sedative medications are commonly used in older adults and are associated with adverse clinical outcomes. The Drug Burden Index was developed to measure the cumulative exposure to these medications in older adults and its impact on physical and cognitive function. This narrative review discusses the research and clinical applications of the Drug Burden Index, and its advantages and limitations, compared with other pharmacologically developed measures of high-risk prescribing.

Deprescribing trials: methods to reduce polypharmacy and the impact on prescribing and clinical outcomes.

Different styles of interventions can reduce medication exposure in older adults. However, the evidence for their clinical effectiveness and sustainability is conflicting and lacking. There are some data to guide clinicians on which medicines are more likely to be inappropriate in older people, which medicines are more likely to cause ADWEs, and which medicines should be tapered slowly rather than stopped.