A Swiss Interprofessional Network for Reviewing Inappropriate Medication in Primary Care

NCT07283055 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: SINERGIC_01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 250
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of the SINERGIC pilot study is to assess the feasibility in the Swiss context of implementing interprofessional medication reviews between GP and pharmacists, as part of a shared decision-making process with patients. The acceptability and potential effectiveness of such an intervention will also be assessed. This assessment will enable the investigators to take into account the determining factors for setting up a large-scale study to support the sustainable financing of this service in the long term.

Conditions

Medication Review; Primary Care

Keywords

Clinical pharmacist; Medication review; Pharmaceutical service; Interprofessionality

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Number of participants recruited and percentage of participants retained

  To assess the ability to recruit patients and retain patients for the duration of the follow-up and, if necessary, to explore the causes leading to their exit from the study; Measure: percentage

  End of the study, expected to be on average after 4-6 months

• Number of GPs recruited and percentage of GPs retained

  To assess the ability to recruit patients and retain patients for the duration of the follow-up and, if necessary, to explore the causes leading to their exit from the study; Measure: percentage

  End of the study, expected to be on average after 18 months

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Score of participants' acceptability of the intervention (Patients Reported Experience Measures)

  End of the study, expected to be on average after 4-6 months

• Score of the healthcare professionals' acceptability of the intervention

  End of the study, up to 18 months

• Qualitative evaluation of healthcare professionals' acceptability

  End of the study, up to 18 months

• Number and percentage of clinically relevant drug related problems resolved

  3 months after medical consultation

• Amount of drug cost savings

  3 months after medical consultation

Other Outcomes (2)

• Number of DRPs identified

  Evaluation of pharmacists clinical skills, End of the study, up to 18 months

• Number and percentage of clinically relevant pharmaceutical interventions

  Evaluation of pharmacists clinical skills, End of the study, up to 18 months

Study Arms (1)

Patient with medication review

OTHER

Other: Medication review

Interventions

Medication review OTHER

* Step 1 (optional): Patients taking at least 10 chronic medications and experiencing adherence or side effect issues may benefit from a specialised consultation with a pharmacist. * Step 2: The pharmacist identifies any medication-related issues for each patient and discusses them directly with the general practitioner in order to agree on the necessary adjustments. * Step 3: During a medical appointment, the doctor and patient will decide together whether to implement the proposed changes. * Step 4: The pharmacist will follow up after a few days and then again after 3 months.

Patient with medication review

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age ≥ 65 years old;
• Regular use of at least 5 medications (chronic treatments, \> 3 months);
• Patients with a minimum of 3 chronic diseases;
• Regular follow-up in a GP practice taking part in the project;
• Adequate understanding of French.
• Written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Residence in an institution (residential care facility, nursing home, etc.) ;
• Cognitive impairment preventing understanding or obtaining informed consent;
• Any other clinical situation deemed incompatible with participation, as decided by the GP in charge.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Bern: lead

Study Sites (1)

Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM)

Bern, Switzerland

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Mallet L, Spinewine A, Huang A. The challenge of managing drug interactions in elderly people. Lancet. 2007 Jul 14;370(9582):185-191. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61092-7.

  PMID: 17630042 BACKGROUND

• Liew TM, Lee CS, Goh SKL, Chang ZY. The prevalence and impact of potentially inappropriate prescribing among older persons in primary care settings: multilevel meta-analysis. Age Ageing. 2020 Jul 1;49(4):570-579. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afaa057.

  PMID: 32365168 BACKGROUND

• Cole JA, Goncalves-Bradley DC, Alqahtani M, Barry HE, Cadogan C, Rankin A, Patterson SM, Kerse N, Cardwell CR, Ryan C, Hughes C. Interventions to improve the appropriate use of polypharmacy for older people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Oct 11;10(10):CD008165. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008165.pub5.

  PMID: 37818791 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Medication Review

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Medication Systems; Organization and Administration; Health Services Administration; Patient Care Management

Study Officials

• Camille Lanfranchi, MSc

  University of Bern (BIHAM)

  STUDY CHAIR

• Juliane Fringeli, MSc

  University of Bern (BIHAM)

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Pilot trial; Before/after comparison

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 2, 2025
• First Posted: December 15, 2025
• Study Start: February 2, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 30, 2027
• Last Updated: February 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, ICF
• Time Frame: Since now until 5 years after study completion
• Access Criteria: on Demand (to main authors)

Locations

CH (1)