JAMA Netw Open

Prescribing interventions may cut meds for seniors, but broader impact still unclear

July 1, 2025

Study details: This systematic review and meta-analysis included 118 randomized trials involving over 417,000 older adults (≥65 years) in primary care and long-term care settings. The goal was to evaluate whether interventions targeting potentially inappropriate prescribing impacted medication use and clinical outcomes.

Results: Interventions—such as medication reviews and decision support—were associated with a modest but statistically significant reduction in the number of medications prescribed (standard mean difference [SMD], –0.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.38 to -0.13), equivalent to about 0.5 fewer medications per patient. However, there weren’t substantial differences in adverse drug reactions, falls, quality of life, hospitalizations, or mortality.

Clinical impact: These findings support the use of deprescribing interventions to safely reduce polypharmacy in older adults without increasing harm. While clinical outcomes remained unchanged, reducing medication burden may still offer meaningful benefits in terms of treatment complexity and patient experience.

Source:

Persaud N, et al. (2025, June 2). JAMA Netw Open. Interventions to Address Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing for Older Primary Care Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40577011/