Implementation of pharmacist-led deprescribing in collaborative primary care settings. 2022

Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
Department of Medicine (Geriatrics), Dalhousie University, Veterans Memorial Building, 5955 Veterans Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS, B3H 2E1, Canada. shanna.trenaman@dal.ca.

In many jurisdictions pharmacists share prescribing responsibilities with other members of the primary care team. Responsibility for deprescribing, the healthcare professional supervised withdrawal of medications that are no longer needed, has not been assumed by a specific member of the primary care team. In this commentary we describe implementation of pharmacist-led deprescribing in collaborative primary care settings using the seven components of knowledge translation. Patient and stakeholder engagement shaped the deprescribing intervention. The intervention was implemented in three collaborative primary care clinics in two Canadian provinces. The evaluation included measures of medication appropriateness, patient satisfaction, and healthcare professional satisfaction. Pharmacist-led deprescribing in primary care was acceptable to both patients and healthcare professionals and demonstrated a reduction of medications deemed to confer more risk than benefit. Our findings support successes in pharmacist-led deprescribing. Future work is needed to understand how to successfully implement and evaluate pharmacist-led deprescribing more widely.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010595 Pharmacists Those persons legally qualified by education and training to engage in the practice of pharmacy. Clinical Pharmacists,Community Pharmacists,Retail Pharmacists,Clinical Pharmacist,Community Pharmacist,Pharmacist,Pharmacist, Clinical,Pharmacist, Community,Pharmacist, Retail,Pharmacists, Clinical,Pharmacists, Community,Pharmacists, Retail,Retail Pharmacist
D011320 Primary Health Care Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192) Primary Care,Primary Healthcare,Care, Primary,Care, Primary Health,Health Care, Primary,Healthcare, Primary
D002170 Canada The largest country in North America, comprising 10 provinces and three territories. Its capital is Ottawa.
D006282 Health Personnel Men and women working in the provision of health services, whether as individual practitioners or employees of health institutions and programs, whether or not professionally trained, and whether or not subject to public regulation. (From A Discursive Dictionary of Health Care, 1976) Health Care Professionals,Health Care Providers,Healthcare Providers,Healthcare Workers,Health Care Professional,Health Care Provider,Healthcare Provider,Healthcare Worker,Personnel, Health,Professional, Health Care,Provider, Health Care,Provider, Healthcare
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000069340 Deprescriptions Directions written to discontinue use of PRESCRIPTION DRUGS in order to reduce unnecessary and/or excessive medications (see POLYPHARMACY), DRUG SIDE EFFECTS and ADVERSE DRUG REACTION. Deprescribing,Deprescription

Related Publications

Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
January 2021, Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPC,
Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
January 2020, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA,
Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
April 2016, Pharmacotherapy,
Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
January 2024, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA,
Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
July 2025, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,
Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
November 2022, Health & social care in the community,
Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
January 2020, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA,
Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
November 2025, Journal of pain and symptom management,
Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
June 2020, American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists,
Shanna C Trenaman, and Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, and Eden d'Entremont-MacVicar, and Jennifer E Isenor, and Carole Goodine, and Pamela Jarrett, and Melissa K Andrew
November 2025, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,
Copied contents to your clipboard!