The IMMENSE study

The IMMENSE trial (A new interdisciplinary collaboration structure in secondary and primary care to improve medication safety in the elderly) was a randomized controlled trial run including patients from September 2016 - December 2019.

The primary objective of the IMMENSE study was to explore whether a new inter-professional collaboration structure between hospital physician, pharmacists and GPs focusing on medications applying the Integrated medicines management (IMM) methodology would reduce emergency medical visits (acute hospitalizations and visits to the emergency departments) for elderly patient admitted to a geriatric ward or a general internal medicines ward.
 
Secondary outcomes included time to first hospitalization, length of hospital stay (LOS), mortality rate, differences in hip fractures, strokes, medications, and differences in self-reported quality of life, and medication appropriateness in-between the two study groups.

No significant difference between the study groups were identified related to the primary and secondary endpoints. However, pharmacists were well included in the interdisicplinary team, delivered the intervention elements in a high degree, and identified many drug-related problems that were solved.

The project now investigates Health related quality of life (HRQoL) in the study group, as well as medication changes throughout the 12 months follow-up.