Safer Prescribing and Care for the Elderly (SPACE): Protocol of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Primary Care

Background: High-risk prescribing, adverse drug events, and avoidable adverse drug event hospitalizations are common. The single greatest risk factor for high-risk prescribing and adverse drug events is the number of medications a person is taking. More people are living longer and taking more medications for multiple long-term conditions. Most on-going prescribing occurs in primary care. The most effective, cost-effective, and practical approach to safer prescribing in primary care is not yet known.

Objective: To test the effect of the Safer Prescribing And Care for the Elderly (SPACE) intervention on high-risk prescribing of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet medicines, and related adverse drug event hospitalizations.

Methods: This is a protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial. The clusters will be primary care practices. Data collection and analysis will be at the level of patient.

Results: Recruitment started in 2018. Six-month data collection will be in 2018.

Conclusions: This study addresses an important translational gap, testing an intervention designed to prompt medicines review and support safer prescribing in routine primary care practice.

Trial registrationgeneral practice: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12618000034235 http://www.ANZCTR.org.au/ACTRN12618000034235.aspx (Archived with Webcite at http://www.webcitation.org/6yj9RImDf)