Development and implementation of strategic frameworks for polypharmacy management in healthcare organisations: a scoping review

Abstract

Abstract Introduction ‘Polypharmacy management’ (PM) guidelines exist (1) but there are challenges to implementation and WHO recommends theory-based organisational change strategies to address this (2). Aim To identify current evidence base around the development and implementation of strategic frameworks for polypharmacy management in healthcare organisations. Methods The Arksey and O’Malley framework and the PRISMA Scoping Reviews extension were used. Databases (Medline, IPA, CINAHL and Business Source Complete) were searched to December 2020. After title and abstract screening full text articles were reviewed. Search, data extraction and eligibility criteria were defined (table). Included studies were charted to collate extracted information and a descriptive narrative approach to data synthesis was taken. All steps involved independent checks by two team members with disagreement mediation by a third. Results Initially 702 records were identified after removal of duplicates, 632 of these were excluded after screening leaving 70 papers. A further 63 of these 70 papers were excluded after full text review. The seven papers remaining met the eligibility criteria fully and showed: despite wide availability of polypharmacy guidelines in the West, particularly the UK and European Union, there is limited evidence on the strategic development and implementation of PM frameworks. The main characteristics of strategic approaches used included: Kotter’s eight step process for organisational change, theoretical domains framework to identify individual behavioural determinants, and a community-based medication management intervention. Reported barriers were: lack of data to create a sense of urgency, lack of a national plan for implementation, monitoring and evaluation, poor coordination of care, lack of time for staff, unclear allocation of tasks and responsibilities and lack of training. Organisational level facilitators included: government funding streams and strict regulatory environment, national emphasis on quality and presence of contextual evidence. Conclusion Despite PM guidance this review shows limited evidence on development of theory based strategic frameworks for organisational change. Evidence was from Western contexts only. A strength of this work is that it searched internationally but was limited by exclusion of grey literature. Further work is required on theory based strategic organisational change in PM particularly in contexts out with the Western world. References (1) Mair A, Fernandez-Llimos F, Alonso A, Harrison C, Hurding S, Kempen T, Kinnear M, Michael N, McIntosh J, Wilson M, the SIMPATHY Consortium. Polypharmacy Management by 2030: a patient safety challenge. 2nd edition. Coimbra: SIMPATHY Consortium; 2017. (2) World Health Organization. Medication safety in polypharmacy: technical report. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2019.