Low-dose methotrexate and serious adverse events among older adults with chronic kidney disease
Muanda FT, Blake PG, Weir MA, Ahmadi F, McArthur E, Sontrop JM, Urquhart BL, Kim RB, Garg AX. JAMA Netw Open. 2023; 6(11):e2345132. Epub 2023 Nov 27.
Background — Medication reviews have become part of pharmacy practice across developed countries. This study aimed to identify factors affecting the likelihood of eligible Ontario seniors receiving a pharmacy-led medication review called MedsCheck annual (MCA).
Methods — We designed a cohort study using a random sample of pharmacy claims for MCA-eligible Ontario seniors using linked administrative data from April 2012 to March 2013. Guided by a conceptual framework, we constructed a generalized-estimating-equations model to estimate the effect of patient, pharmacy and community factors on the likelihood of receiving MCA.
Results — Of the 2,878,958 eligible claim-dates, 65,605 included an MCA. Compared to eligible individuals who did not receive an MCA, recipients were more likely to have a prior MCA (OR = 3.03), receive a new medication on the claim-date (OR = 1.78), be hypertensive (OR = 1.18) or have a recent hospitalization (OR = 1.07). MCA recipients had fewer medications (e.g., OR = 0.44 for ≥12 medications versus 0-4 medications), and were less likely to receive an MCA in a rural (OR = 0.74) or high-volume pharmacy (OR = 0.65).
Conclusions — The most important determinant of receiving an MCA was having had a prior MCA. Overall, MCA recipients were healthier, younger, urban-dwelling, and taking fewer medications than non-recipients. Policies regarding current and future medication review programs may need to evolve to ensure that those at greatest need receive timely and comprehensive medication reviews.
Pechlivanoglou P, Abrahamyan L, MacKeigan L, Consiglio GP, Dolovich L, Li P, Cadarette SM, Rac VE, Shin J, Krahn M. BMC Health Serv Res. 2016; 16:666. Epub 2016 Nov 21.
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