Table 2.
Study characteristics
| Study [Reference] | Type of study | Location of study | Patient cohort included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duggan et al. 19 | Randomized controlled trial | London, UK | Patients aged between 16 and 79 years old, showing no psychiatric illness or alcohol abuse |
| Stafford et al. 25,26 | Prospective, non-randomized controlled cohort study | Australia | Patients aged over 18 years old discharged with either newly initiated warfarin or continuing pre-admission therapy, with an indication necessitating at least 3 months of therapy |
| Nazareth et al. 27 | Randomized controlled trial | London, UK | Patients aged over 75 years old discharged on four or more medications |
| Bellone et al. 28 | Retrospective electronic record review | Texas, USA | Patients aged between 18 and 65 years old who were on at least three prescription medication |
| Beachesne et al. 29 | Randomized controlled trial | Montreal, Canada | Patients admitted to the emergency department for a respiratory disorder or hospitalised at the respiratory unit |
| Hugtenberg et al. 30 | Controlled intervention study | Amsterdam, the Netherlands | Patients discharged on five or more medications, and showed no signs of mental illness |
| Hugtenberg et al. 31 | Randomized controlled trial | the Netherlands | Patients aged over 60 years old discharged on five or more medications |
| Holland et al. 32 | Randomized controlled trial | Norfolk and Suffolk, UK | Patients aged over 80 years old discharged on two or more medications |
| Holland et al. 33 | Randomized controlled trial (economic evaluation) | UK | Patients diagnosed with heart failure and discharged on two or more medications |
| Pacini et al. 34 | |||
| Gurjal et al. 35 | Randomized controlled trial | Queensland, Australia | Patients admitted to the coronary care unit, cardiology ward or general medical wards with a diagnosis of ST-elevated MI or non-ST-elevated MI |
| Calvert et al. 36 | Randomized controlled trial | North Carolina, USA | Patients with coronary artery disease discharged on aspirin, β-adrenoceptor blocker and a statin |
| Crotty et al. 37 | Randomized controlled trial | South Australia | Patients with a life expectancy of ≥ 1 month and being discharged for the first time from hospital to a long term residential care facility |