Defining key deprescribing measures from electronic health data: A multisite data harmonization project.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Stopping or reducing risky or unneeded medications ("deprescribing") could improve older adults' health. Electronic health data can support observational and intervention studies of deprescribing, but there are no standardized measures for key variables, and healthcare systems have differing data types and availability. We developed definitions for chronic medication use and discontinuation based on electronic health data and applied them in a case study of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in five diverse US healthcare systems.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults age 65+ from 2017 to 2019 with chronic benzodiazepine or Z-drug use. We determined whether sites had access to medication orders and/or dispensings. We developed definitions for chronic

SUBMITTER: Dublin S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12278905 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature