Attitudes toward deprescribing in a middle-aged health disparities population

Background: Patients' attitudes toward deprescribing are crucial to understand before developing interventions, but no such data exists in the medically underserved, health disparities population of rural Appalachian United States.

Objective(s): Assess Appalachian women's openness to deprescribing medications and determine if polypharmacy influenced their attitudes toward deprescribing.

Methods: Before and after a cognitive behavioral therapy intervention, middle-aged Appalachian women self-reported medication use and completed the revised Patients' Attitudes Toward Deprescribing Questionnaire (rPATD). Responses were described, stratified by presence of polypharmacy.

Results: 30 women completed the rPATD pre- and post-intervention (mean [SD] age 55.8 [6.6] years; 96.7% white). Those with polypharmacy (n = 16) had higher burden and involvement scores (median 2.8 vs 2.0, p = 0.01; 4.9 vs 4.6, p = 0.06), and lower appropriateness scores (3.4 vs 3.9, p = 0.04). Burden, concerns about stopping, and involvement factor scores were similar before and after the intervention (p = 0.08, 0.86, and 0.41 respectively). ≥90% of participants were satisfied with their current medications yet would be willing to stop one or more.

Conclusions: Middle-aged women in rural Appalachian United States are open to deprescribing; polypharmacy is associated with lower belief in the appropriateness of medications. Larger studies are needed to inform future deprescribing interventions for this and other similarly disadvantaged populations.