Provider Admission Visit to Implement Medication Deprescribing in Hospice

Authors

• Shaunda A. Bueno, Fort Hays State UniversityFollow

Abstract

A large portion of healthcare spending is focused on patients with multiple chronic illnesses, and most of these patients are on numerous medications, commonly referred to as polypharmacy or hyper-polypharmacy. Furthermore, hospice-eligible patients have at least one disease process that is considered life-limiting with a life expectancy of less than six months, and often have multiple medical conditions with complicated treatment regimens known as multimorbidity. The high incidence of multiple comorbidities for hospice patients, combined with advanced age and the incidence of polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy, has also caused an increased treatment burden for patients and caregivers. To address this issue, a quality improvement project was implemented at a home hospice agency in rural Arizona, involving a change to the admission process. The goal of this project was to complete an evaluation by a hospice nurse practitioner within two weeks of admission for all new patients with a thorough review of medications and initiation of deprescribing. Provider visits initiated an open dialogue and joint decision-making, using the FRAME technique to address deprescribing with the patient and family. The outcome of this quality improvement project was the completion of a provider medication evaluation visit for new admissions within two weeks and a reduction in the number of medications, with a long-term goal of improving the quality of life for patients and caregivers by reducing pill burden.

Faculty Advisor

Dr. Janelle Harding

Department/Program

Nursing

Submission Type

online only poster

Date

4-11-2026

Rights

Copyright the Author(s)

Recommended Citation

Bueno, Shaunda A. (2026) "Provider Admission Visit to Implement Medication Deprescribing in Hospice," SACAD: Scholarly Activities: Vol. 2026, Article 124.
Available at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/sacad/vol2026/iss2026/124