Workshop on deprescribing in patients with limited life expectancy

Context: patients with limited life expectancy frequently use potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), leading to avoidable harms. They are often managed in primary care, however, deprescribing of PIMs remains poorly enacted. Reported barriers to deprescribing include negative perceptions of deprescribing, limited awareness of existing guidance, and poor communication. Several tools have been developed to facilitate deprescribing in this population, the STOPPFrail criteria being the most widely used. This extensively validated tool has shown to improve deprescribing of PIMs.

Learning objectives:
1. Increase awareness of and willingness to deprescribing in patients with limited life expectancy.
2. Increase knowledge on deprescribing benefits and evidence, the STOPPFrail criteria, and effective deprescribing communication strategies.
3. Learn to apply the STOPPFrail criteria.

Teaching methods:
This workshop will be focused on the use of small group learning following case-based discussions. In small groups, participants will apply the STOPPFrail criteria to a number of clinical cases and discuss how to engage in deprescribing discussions.

Workshop schedule:
- Case description (5 min).
- Mini-lecture on medication use in patients with limited life expectancy, deprescribing, its benefits and current evidence, and the STOPPFrail criteria (10 min).
- Application of STOPPFrail to clinical cases in small-groups, with subsequent plenary discussion (20 min).
- Small-group discussion and plenary sharing on effective communication strategies for deprescribing, based on challenging clinical scenarios (20 min). Participants can share their own experiences.
- Additional resources and workshop closing (5 min).

Expected outcomes:
- To appreciate the evidence supporting deprescribing for patients with a limited life expectancy.
- To identify which medications can be stopped and when.
- To apply the STOPPFrail criteria to real patient cases.
- To explore how deprescribing can be optimally communicated with patients.
- To enhance confidence in engaging in deprescribing.