Pharmacist-led Deprescribing for Hospitalized Older Adults: Current Evidence, Implementation Barriers, and Future Directions
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: Background: Hospital admission creates an opportunity to reassess medicines in older adults whose frailty, multimorbidity, and acute illness may change the balance of benefit and harm. Objective: To summarise evidence on pharmacist-led deprescribing in hospitalised older adults and describe barriers to implementation. Methods: PubMed was searched through 21 June 2026. Of 115 records, 29 full-text publications were included: 18 intervention or service-evaluation reports and 11 qualitative, implementation, or tool-development reports. Owing to heterogeneity, findings were synthesised narratively. Results: Pharmacist involvement was associated with medication discontinuation, fewer potentially inappropriate medicines, reduced anticholinergic or sedative burden, and frequent acceptance of recommendations. Evidence for readmission, mortality, quality of life, and long-term sustainability remained limited. Common barriers were unclear responsibility, limited pharmacist capacity, patient concerns, fragmented records, and weak follow-up. Conclusion: Pharmacist-led deprescribing can improve medication appropriateness, but sustainable services require targeted patient selection, shared decisions, multidisciplinary accountability, monitoring, and reliable transfer of care.
Author: Dr. Shubham Kumar Vohra*
Language: English
Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204629626
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