What is TAPER?
Team Approach to Polypharmacy Evaluation and Reduction (TAPER) is a structured clinical pathway and a preventative intervention model. TAPER aims to reduce the harmful effects of polypharmacy and optimize medication regimens for older adults.
TAPER uses a team-based and client-focused approach. The patient works with their pharmacist and family physician to adjust their medication plan to reflect their health priorities. In doing so, TAPER can help you overcome barriers to reducing polypharmacy.
To help you create a plan to guide the deprescribing process, patient priorities and characteristics and integrated with:
- Multidisciplinary medication review
- Automated screening for potentially inappropriate medications
- Other evidence-based support tools within TaperMD
Our goal is to introduce TAPER as a part of the routine care of older adults in primary care settings to reduce their medication burden.
For a step-by-step overview of the TAPER process, see Overview.
What is TaperMD?
The TaperMD tool is an online platform developed in collaboration with Data Based Medicine and McMaster University. It integrates all elements of the TAPER pathway including:
- Patient priorities for treatment
- Patient characteristics relevant to medications
- Patient medication list
- High-level research evidence
TaperMD conducts a multi-drug review that flags for:
- Potentially inappropriate medications for older adults
- Anticholinergic burden
- QT prolongation burden
- Hypotension burden
- Serotonin burden
- Interactions
TaperMD generates:
- Recommendations for tapering approaches
- List of potential medication withdrawal effects
- Suggestions for monitoring parameters and time frames
TaperMD is designed to be integrated with electronic medical records or printed for integration with paper records. All clinicians may access this tool.
For more information about TaperMD, please visit tapermd.com
TaperMD Platform
A brief overview of the TaperMD platform