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Aligning Medications With What Matters Most: Conversations Between Pharmacists, People With Dementia, and Care Partners
Ariel R. Green, Rosalphie Quiles, Andrea E. Daddato, Aleksandra Wec, Kathy S. Gleason, Tobie Taylor McPhail, Jessica W. Merrey, Linda A. Weffald et al.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2025-02-03
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The mean (SD) age of PWD was 81 (8.1) years; 45% were women, 33% Black, and 15% Hispanic. PWD took an average of 13 (±5.3) medications at baseline. Care partners were on average 66 (13) years of age and most were spouses/partners of the PWD. Content analysis identified five themes: (1) Reducing medication-related treatment burden; (2) Alleviating burdensome symptoms; (3) Maintaining cognition and function; (4) Discussion of tradeoffs; (5) Challenges to deprescribing. After eliciting patient and care partner priorities, pharmacists recommended both deprescribing and prescribing. Findings from this secondary analysis of a pilot deprescribing intervention suggest eliciting medication-related priorities of PWD and care partners can support goal-concordant care. These results can inform development of interventions to optimize medications for this population.
Key findings
- The mean (SD) age of PWD was 81 (8.1) years; 45% were women, 33% Black, and 15% Hispanic.
- PWD took an average of 13 (±5.3) medications at baseline.
- Care partners were on average 66 (13) years of age and most were spouses/partners of the PWD.
- Content analysis identified five themes: (1) Reducing medication-related treatment burden; (2) Alleviating burdensome symptoms; (3) Maintaining cognition and function; (4) Discussion of tradeoffs; (5) Challenges to deprescribing.
- After eliciting patient and care partner priorities, pharmacists recommended both deprescribing and prescribing.
Why it matters
This pilot study found that eliciting medication-related priorities of people with dementia and their care partners can support goal-concordant care, with pharmacists recommending both deprescribing and prescribing. It does not test whether this approach prevents or cures Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 6 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 6 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Rebecca S. Boxer: h-index 31 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39898453) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1111/jgs.19379
- PubMed: 39898453
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Green, A. R., Quiles, R., Daddato, A. E., Wec, A., Gleason, K. S., McPhail, T. T., et al. (2025). Aligning Medications With What Matters Most: Conversations Between Pharmacists, People With Dementia, and Care Partners. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.19379
Vancouver
Green AR, Quiles R, Daddato AE, Wec A, Gleason KS, McPhail TT, et al. Aligning Medications With What Matters Most: Conversations Between Pharmacists, People With Dementia, and Care Partners. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2025. doi:10.1111/jgs.19379. PMID: 39898453.
BibTeX
@article{green2025-39898453,
author = {Green, Ariel R. and Quiles, Rosalphie and Daddato, Andrea E. and Wec, Aleksandra and Gleason, Kathy S. and McPhail, Tobie Taylor and Merrey, Jessica W. and Weffald, Linda A. and others},
title = {{Aligning Medications With What Matters Most: Conversations Between Pharmacists, People With Dementia, and Care Partners}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1111/jgs.19379},
pmid = {39898453},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.19379}
}
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