Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD was awarded pilot funding from the United States Deprescribing Research Network (USDeN) for his proposal entitled 鈥淒eprescribing Bisphosphonates in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia.鈥�
The 1-year award seeks to: 1) develop operational definitions for identifying deprescribing of bisphosphonates using Medicare administrative data; and 2) evaluate patterns and factors that may be associated with deprescribing of bisphosphonates in older nursing home residents with dementia.聽 The study team will also engage with a stakeholder group of nursing home providers and residents/caregivers to disseminate findings.聽 Dr. Niznik was also recently appointed to the USDeN鈥檚 Junior Investigator Intensive Program, which brings together junior investigators to expand and support deprescribing research.
The pilot award brings together investigators and clinicians from the Division of Geriatric Medicine and the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy. Co-investigators include: Carolyn Thorpe, PhD, MPH (DPOP); Laura Hanson, MD, MPH (Geriatrics); Meredith Gilliam, MD, MPH (Geriatrics); Sherrie Aspinall, PharmD, MS (University of Pittsburgh and VA Pittsburgh Health System); Jan Busby-Whitehead, MD (Division Chief, Geriatrics); and Xintong, Li, MS (DPOP).
The work from this pilot project will lay the foundation for Niznik鈥檚 proposed K08 award (under review) which will subsequently explore caregiver and provider perspectives and the implications of deprescribing for clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness in older nursing home residents with dementia.