Tailored medication management intervention delivered by occupational therapists for older adults: A study protocol

Introduction: Medication management is an essential instrumental activity of daily living for older adults; however, 40-70% of older adults fail to take their medications correctly. Addressing medication management falls under the scope of occupational therapy, but there is a lack of evidence supporting occupational therapy interventions to improving medication management. This study's primary aims are to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a Tailored Intervention for Medication Management delivered by occupational therapists to improve medication management. Method/Design: Single-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled equivalency trial, with two phases. Thirty community-dwelling older adults will be enrolled in this study. In Phase 1, participants in the treatment group will receive Tailored Intervention for Medication Management delivered remotely; those in the waitlist control will receive attention visits. In Phase 2, waitlist control participants will receive Tailored Intervention for Medication Management in person. The primary outcomes are feasibility and acceptability; secondary outcomes include preliminary efficacy of the intervention delivered by an occupational therapist remotely and in person. Additionally, the remote and in-person delivery methods will be compared to each other for equivalency. Discussion: Inability to manage medication and inappropriate polypharmacy are significant and prevalent problems that must be addressed so older adults can safely perform this essential instrumental activity of daily living.