Results
Figure 2 provides an overview of the flow of the participants in the
study. In total, 105 patients were included, of which 87 completed
follow-up. The study population was composed of two sub-groups: care
home residents (31%) and community-dwelling patients with chronic
diseases (69%). During the intervention period, 18 patients were lost
to follow-up for various reasons.
Eight care home residents were lost to follow-up. Four of them died
before follow-up. By clinical evaluation, it was concluded that none of
the deaths were directly related to the medication review intervention
(e.g., one of the residents died from/with COVID-19). Other four
patients were unable to collaborate on follow-up questionnaires. None of
the included patients were admitted to the hospital between inclusion
and follow-up.
Ten community-dwelling patients were lost to follow-up; five did not
show up for the consultation and for five other patients, the follow-up
questionnaire data was not collected for unspecified reasons. Four of
the 60 included patients were admitted to the hospital during the
intervention period. By clinical evaluation, it was concluded that none
of the admissions were directly related to the medication review
intervention.
Baseline characteristics of the total study population and the two
sub-groups are provided in Table 1.