Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Background: Statins are often beneficial, but for many older adults who live in long-term care (LTC), reassessing their use, including considering stopping or reducing doses (deprescribing), is good practice. deprescribing.org has recently developed tools to support statin deprescribing decisions for older adults. This study looked at LTC clinicians' recommendations for statin deprescribing or continuation for residents using prototypes of the newly developed tools in practice. Methods: This study included clinicians involved in medication decision-making in LTC homes. They used the prototype tools in practice over 3 months and engaged in focus groups before and after this period to provide feedback. Participants also completed online surveys to provide information on the LTC residents they used the tools with, and their self-efficacy for statin deprescribing. Results: Sixteen clinicians working in Ontario LTC homes participated. They applied the tools to 111 different residents, who were mostly 80 years of age or older. Most clinicians recommended that residents keep using their statin, rather than discontinuing the statin or decreasing its dose. Aligned with what the tools recommend, residents who were identified as closer to the end of their life were more likely to be told to stop taking the statin. Clinician self-efficacy for statin deprescribing increased and stayed high after the tools were introduced. Conclusions: The statin deprescribing tools were successfully used in LTC homes across Ontario. Clinicians' recommendations about statin use were well-aligned with the recommendations in the newly developed tools.