Improving Medication Management in World Trade Center Responders

De-prescribing is the act of reducing or stopping medications that are no longer necessary or may cause harm, to reduce adverse drug reactions and ensure the safety of patients. Polypharmacy is the simultaneous use of five or more medications. Through education brochures and discussions about potential side effects of medications, the research team will see whether these approaches lead to discussions between a study participant (WTC responder) and the prescribing physician, to make informed decisions about management of medications. Specifically, the participant will be provided information about one of the five medication classes they may be taking that are known to have potential side effects for older adults: proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), benzodiazepine (BZs) and non-benzodiazepine sedative hypnotics ("Z-drugs"), first-generation antihistamines (FGA), and skeletal muscle relaxants (SMR) to determine their necessity. To be clear, changes to medications will only be done under the guidance of the prescriber.

Study participants will be asked to complete baseline surveys that ask about beliefs and attitudes regarding medications and de-prescribing; review patient education brochure about a medication the participant is taking; discuss deprescribing options with the participant's prescriber; and complete a survey regarding acceptance of the deprescribing intervention and how this process may have affected the physician-patient relationship.

Inclusion criteria

• A WTC responder already enrolled in the "Promoting Healthy Aging Among WTC Responders: Frailty Trajectories and Intervention Strategies" study cohort
• aged 50 years or older, and
• taking one of the five medication classes:

• proton pump inhibitors (PPIs),
• benzodiazepine (BZs) and
• non-benzodiazepine sedative hypnotics ("Z-drugs"),
• first-generation antihistamines (FGA), and
• skeletal muscle relaxants (SMR).

Exclusion criteria

• None