Deprescribing Intervention for Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

NCT ID: NCT06324045

Last Updated: 2025-10-01

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

424 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-02-19

Study Completion Date

2026-03-31

Brief Summary

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Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is recognized as a leading health problem globally. It is associated with multiple consequences such as cardiovascular diseases, infections, reduced cognitive function, and higher mortality rates. In Qatar, it is estimated that 13% of the population suffers from CKD. Management of CKD is associated with polypharmacy (the use of multiple medications), which burdens the patients and leads to adverse health and economic outcomes. As documented by previous studies, CKD setting is associated with a high medication burden, which leads to non-adherence, reduced quality of life, and other negative sequelae. These consequences can be minimized or averted by implementing a deprescribing program. Deprescribing is defined as the supervised process of intentionally stopping a medication, altering the dose or introducing a safer alternative to improve a person's clinical and quality of life outcomes. Previous deprescribing initiatives in inpatient and outpatient hospital settings were successfully implemented.

In general, there are limited deprescribing initiatives in CKD settings. There is a need to provide evidence of the impact of deprescribing programs on improving clinical and economic outcomes in this setting. In Qatar, there is no evidence of the effectiveness of implementing deprescribing programs in clinical settings. Therefore, we have built a team of researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders, and initiated a collaboration with deprescribing experts to fit into the Qatar healthcare system. This project aims to initiate a deprescribing multidisciplinary team and to evaluate the impact of providing such services on the clinical and economic outcomes among CKD patients in Qatar using a randomized controlled trial approach. The findings could have a potential positive impact on the professional practice and patient safety represented by health and economic outcomes.

Detailed Description

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Medication burden and polypharmacy are evident problems among patients with CKD worldwide and in Qatar. The consequences of this problem are enormous and include high rates of adverse health and economic outcomes. Although there have been multiple initiatives to overcome polypharmacy in CKD and other chronic conditions, these initiatives still lack providing strong evidence of impact on tangible outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

In addition, most initiatives are uni-professional or fragmented. This project will initiate a multidisciplinary deprescribing program for Chronic Kidney Disease patients in Qatar. The study will also provide strong evidence of the effect of such intervention on humanistic and clinical outcomes following best practices. Undertaking deprescribing in the real world, however, is problematic; whereby, for strategic planning throughout HMC and to ensure the sustainability of the practice, including the utilization of resources and the hiring of personnel in practice sites, healthcare systems must demonstrate the return on investments made in their services. It is important, therefore, that the current study includes a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed program, to evaluate the trade-off between operational costs and the generated cost savings. The results of the study will provide an opportunity for the healthcare system in Qatar to adopt such a program among different settings that include patients prone to inappropriate polypharmacy.

Goals of the study

The goals of the proposed project are to:

1. develop and validate a deprescribing program that includes a well-trained multidisciplinary team to provide the needed care for patients with advanced stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) who experience inappropriate polypharmacy.
2. evaluate the impact of providing a structured deprescribing program on clinical, humanistic (quality of life), and economic outcomes of advanced stages CKD patients who experience inappropriate polypharmacy.

The objectives of the study are to:

1. develop and validate an intervention framework, deprescribing guide and documents, and deprescribing training materials.
2. implement and assess the clinical and humanistic impact of the deprescribing intervention program.
3. assess the economic impact of the deprescribing intervention program on the healthcare provider institution.

The proposed project will develop and study the effect of multidisciplinary deprescribing program for patients with advanced stages of CKD and will be conducted in three consecutive phases:

* Phase I (Pre-Intervention Phase) to prepare an intervention framework and build the capacity of a multidisciplinary deprescribing team.
* Phase II (Intervention Phase) to implement and assess the clinical and humanistic impact of the deprescribing intervention program.
* Phase III (Post-Intervention Phase) to assess the economic impact of the deprescribing intervention program on the healthcare provider (i.e. HMC).

Conditions

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Chronic Kidney Diseases

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

CKD patients will be screened using medical records. Eligible patients will be approached during their routine visits to FBJ Kidney Center and other ambulatory kidney centers. Due to feasibility and practicality issues, selecting the patients will be consecutive case series as per their availability during the time of the recruitment (nonprobabilistic).

After obtaining informed consent, patients will be randomized into one of the two study arms. Randomization will be stratified by dialysis dependency (dialysis vs. pre-dialysis); randomly permuted balanced block sizes of 4 for dialysis patients and 1 for pre-dialysis will be used. Neither the practitioners nor the patients will be blinded to the patients' allocated groups due to the nature of the intervention. Due to feasibility and practicalities, selecting the patients will be consecutive as per their availability during the time of the recruitment (non-probabilistic).
Primary Study Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Control arm

Includes patients who will receive usual ambulatory, and at discharge care

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Intervention arm

Includes patients who will receive a structured deprescribing intervention by the multidisciplinary team during patients' time at the center, and discharge (as applicable)

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Deprescribing

Intervention Type OTHER

1. The clinical pharmacist will review the patient's medications using validated screening tools, draft a deprescribing plan of the potential problematic medications, consult with the physician (MDT-CKD nephrologist), make the needed amendments, and document in the medical records.
2. The plan will be implemented and monitored during the patient's appointments for 1- 2 weeks at the center by the nephrologist.
3. The medication plan will be reconciled before discharge from dialysis or a planned appointment, and patients will be given a deprescribing card containing medication information. A note will be posted on CERNER as well. The primary care physician might also be contacted by the MDT-CKD team for consultation or any inquiries regarding the patient's condition or medications.
4. The MDT-CKD specialist nurse will conduct 3 post-appointment follow-up phone calls on day 2, day 7, and day 28 to enquire about any withdrawal symptoms or any concerns of the patient.

Interventions

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Deprescribing

1. The clinical pharmacist will review the patient's medications using validated screening tools, draft a deprescribing plan of the potential problematic medications, consult with the physician (MDT-CKD nephrologist), make the needed amendments, and document in the medical records.
2. The plan will be implemented and monitored during the patient's appointments for 1- 2 weeks at the center by the nephrologist.
3. The medication plan will be reconciled before discharge from dialysis or a planned appointment, and patients will be given a deprescribing card containing medication information. A note will be posted on CERNER as well. The primary care physician might also be contacted by the MDT-CKD team for consultation or any inquiries regarding the patient's condition or medications.
4. The MDT-CKD specialist nurse will conduct 3 post-appointment follow-up phone calls on day 2, day 7, and day 28 to enquire about any withdrawal symptoms or any concerns of the patient.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

Patients who are:

* diagnosed with ESRD receiving hemodialysis treatment or pre-dialysis patients who are followed up at a low clearance clinic.
* receiving treatment at one of the ambulatory kidney centers in Qatar for at least two months.
* able to communicate in Arabic and/or English.

Exclusion Criteria

* Unstable or has a psychiatric condition.
* Presents with uncontrolled behaviors or exit-seeking behaviors (i.e., seeking to leave the premises out of confusion, frustration, or anger).
* Critically ill patients, pregnant women, children, mentally ill, dementia, and unconscious patients.
* Patients with limited life expectancy (less than 6 months).
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Qatar University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Winchester District Memorial Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Hamad Medical Corporation

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Abdullah Ibrahim Hamad

Lead Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Hasan Al-Malki, MD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Head of Nephrology Division, Hamad Medical Corporation

Abdullah Hamad, MD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Division of Nephrology, Hamad Medical Corporation

Ahmed Awaisu, Ph.D.

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Head of Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qatar University

Locations

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Hamad Medical Corporation

Doha, , Qatar

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Qatar

Central Contacts

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Abdullah Hamad, MD

Role: CONTACT

+97444394888

Ahmed Awaisu, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

+974 4403 5596

Facility Contacts

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Abdulla Hamad, MD

Role: primary

+97444394804

Rania Ibrahim, MSc.

Role: backup

+9744394808

References

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Lv JC, Zhang LX. Prevalence and Disease Burden of Chronic Kidney Disease. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1165:3-15. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-8871-2_1.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31399958 (View on PubMed)

Manski-Nankervis JA, McMorrow R, Nelson C, Jesudason S, Sluggett JK. Prescribing and deprescribing in chronic kidney disease. Aust J Gen Pract. 2021 Apr;50(4):183-187. doi: 10.31128/AJGP-11-20-5752.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33786539 (View on PubMed)

Johansson T, Abuzahra ME, Keller S, Mann E, Faller B, Sommerauer C, Hock J, Loffler C, Kochling A, Schuler J, Flamm M, Sonnichsen A. Impact of strategies to reduce polypharmacy on clinically relevant endpoints: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2016 Aug;82(2):532-48. doi: 10.1111/bcp.12959. Epub 2016 May 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27059768 (View on PubMed)

Reeve E, Thompson W, Farrell B. Deprescribing: A narrative review of the evidence and practical recommendations for recognizing opportunities and taking action. Eur J Intern Med. 2017 Mar;38:3-11. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2016.12.021. Epub 2017 Jan 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28063660 (View on PubMed)

Zidan A, Awaisu A, El-Hajj MS, Al-Abdulla SA, Figueroa DCR, Kheir N. Medication-Related Burden among Patients with Chronic Disease Conditions: Perspectives of Patients Attending Non-Communicable Disease Clinics in a Primary Healthcare Setting in Qatar. Pharmacy (Basel). 2018 Aug 13;6(3):85. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy6030085.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30104554 (View on PubMed)

Al-Mansouri A, Al-Ali FS, Hamad AI, Mohamed Ibrahim MI, Kheir N, Ibrahim RA, AlBakri M, Awaisu A. Assessment of treatment burden and its impact on quality of life in dialysis-dependent and pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2021 Nov;17(11):1937-1944. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.02.010. Epub 2021 Feb 13.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33612446 (View on PubMed)

Stewart D, Mair A, Wilson M, Kardas P, Lewek P, Alonso A, McIntosh J, MacLure K; SIMPATHY consortium. Guidance to manage inappropriate polypharmacy in older people: systematic review and future developments. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2017 Feb;16(2):203-213. doi: 10.1080/14740338.2017.1265503. Epub 2016 Dec 4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27885844 (View on PubMed)

Kurczewska-Michalak M, Lewek P, Jankowska-Polanska B, Giardini A, Granata N, Maffoni M, Costa E, Midao L, Kardas P. Polypharmacy Management in the Older Adults: A Scoping Review of Available Interventions. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Nov 26;12:734045. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.734045. eCollection 2021.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34899294 (View on PubMed)

Gazarin M, Devin B, Tse D, Mulligan E, Naciuk M, Duncan S, Burnett S, Hall L, Elbeddini A. Evaluating an inpatient deprescribing initiative at a rural community hospital in Ontario. Can Pharm J (Ott). 2020 Jun 9;153(4):224-231. doi: 10.1177/1715163520929734. eCollection 2020 Jul-Aug.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33193924 (View on PubMed)

Ibrahim K, Cox NJ, Stevenson JM, Lim S, Fraser SDS, Roberts HC. A systematic review of the evidence for deprescribing interventions among older people living with frailty. BMC Geriatr. 2021 Apr 17;21(1):258. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02208-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33865310 (View on PubMed)

Kemp A, Preen DB, Glover J, Semmens J, Roughead EE. How much do we spend on prescription medicines? Out-of-pocket costs for patients in Australia and other OECD countries. Aust Health Rev. 2011 Aug;35(3):341-9. doi: 10.1071/AH10906.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21871197 (View on PubMed)

Hays RD, Kallich JD, Mapes DL, Coons SJ, Carter WB. Development of the kidney disease quality of life (KDQOL) instrument. Qual Life Res. 1994 Oct;3(5):329-38. doi: 10.1007/BF00451725.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7841967 (View on PubMed)

Tran VT, Harrington M, Montori VM, Barnes C, Wicks P, Ravaud P. Adaptation and validation of the Treatment Burden Questionnaire (TBQ) in English using an internet platform. BMC Med. 2014 Jul 2;12:109. doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-12-109.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24989988 (View on PubMed)

Anghel LA, Farcas AM, Oprean RN. An overview of the common methods used to measure treatment adherence. Med Pharm Rep. 2019 Apr;92(2):117-122. doi: 10.15386/mpr-1201. Epub 2019 Apr 25.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31086837 (View on PubMed)

Bijlsma MJ, Janssen F, Hak E. Estimating time-varying drug adherence using electronic records: extending the proportion of days covered (PDC) method. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2016 Mar;25(3):325-32. doi: 10.1002/pds.3935. Epub 2015 Dec 21.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26687394 (View on PubMed)

Kripalani S, Risser J, Gatti ME, Jacobson TA. Development and evaluation of the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) among low-literacy patients with chronic disease. Value Health. 2009 Jan-Feb;12(1):118-23. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4733.2008.00400.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19911444 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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MRC-01-22-314

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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