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Source study found

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Excessive polypharmacy and complex medication regimens are associated with greater physician burden (opens in a new tab)

medicalxpress.com · 2026-10-29

Short answerEvidenceSource

Short answer

Mixed

Mixed.

The claims we could check match the study, but some claims were not covered by the evidence reviewed.

  • 2 supported
  • 3 not covered

Checked against the study summary. The full text wasn't available, so some details couldn't be settled either way.

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1
2

NewsLink checks it

Mixed

Every claim we could check holds up. Two of five claims match the study. This overall rating is based only on the claims we could check. Three claims the study doesn't address.

  • 2 supported
  • 3 not covered
Open claim evidence
3
Source paper

Source layer

The 2 papers the story cites

Source study separated from background citations.

The research anchor for the report.

Then inspect each claim

Evidence layer

Claim by claim

Each claim gets a verdict. Expand it to see the evidence directly below.

5 claims in this story

Showing all 5 claimsChoose a verdict to focus the list.

Claim 1 of 5Not coveredPhysicians experienced significantly greater burden when caring for patients with excessive polypharmacy, defined as 10 or more medications, and those with particularly complex medication regimens.View evidenceHide evidence

As stated10 or more medications

Why this verdict

The abstract-level profile supports significant adjusted associations between excessive polypharmacy and greater physician burden, and between the highest MRCI-J quartile and greater physician burden. But it explicitly says the medication-count category thresholds, including the definition of excessive polypharmacy, are not specified in the abstract, so the story’s '10 or more medications' definition cannot be verified at this depth.

1

Study evidence

Excessive polypharmacy was associated with higher physician-perceived burden in home healthcare patients after covariate adjustment in mixed-effects models.Regression coefficient = 8.20 mm (95% CI: 4.07 to 12.33)

“a multicenter cross-sectional study”
2

Study evidence

Patients in the highest MRCI-J quartile had higher physician-perceived burden compared with other quartiles in adjusted models.regression coefficient = 7.84 mm (95% CI 3.61 to 12.07)

“medication regimen complexity index-Japanese (MRCI-J) scores (categorized into quartiles)”
Claim 2 of 5Not coveredResearchers examined 503 patients receiving home-based medical care at seven medical institutions in Tokyo and Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, assessing medication count and regimen complexity in relation to physicians' perceived clinical burden.View evidenceHide evidence

As stated503 patients; seven medical institutions

Why this verdict

The abstract-level profile supports the core study description: 503 analyzed patients, seven home care support clinics/hospitals in Japan, medication count and MRCI-J/regimen complexity assessed against physician-perceived burden. However, the profile does not verify the more specific prefecture claim of Tokyo and Ibaraki, so that geographic detail is not verifiable at abstract depth.

1

Study evidence

Excessive polypharmacy was associated with higher physician-perceived burden in home healthcare patients after covariate adjustment in mixed-effects models.Regression coefficient = 8.20 mm (95% CI: 4.07 to 12.33)

“a multicenter cross-sectional study”
2

Study evidence

Patients in the highest MRCI-J quartile had higher physician-perceived burden compared with other quartiles in adjusted models.regression coefficient = 7.84 mm (95% CI 3.61 to 12.07)

“medication regimen complexity index-Japanese (MRCI-J) scores (categorized into quartiles)”
Claim 3 of 5Not coveredThe associations remained significant after adjustment for factors including patient age, comorbidities and consultation time.View evidenceHide evidence

Why this verdict

The profile supports that the associations remained significant after adjustment for covariates. It does not specify which covariates were included in the adjusted models at abstract depth, so the claim that adjustment included age, comorbidities, and consultation time is not verifiable from the supplied profile.

1

Study evidence

Excessive polypharmacy was associated with higher physician-perceived burden in home healthcare patients after covariate adjustment in mixed-effects models.Regression coefficient = 8.20 mm (95% CI: 4.07 to 12.33)

“a multicenter cross-sectional study”
2

Study evidence

Patients in the highest MRCI-J quartile had higher physician-perceived burden compared with other quartiles in adjusted models.regression coefficient = 7.84 mm (95% CI 3.61 to 12.07)

“medication regimen complexity index-Japanese (MRCI-J) scores (categorized into quartiles)”
Claim 4 of 5SupportedPatients receiving home-based medical care are often older adults with multiple chronic conditions, and polypharmacy is prevalent in this population, but medication-management challenges go beyond the number of drugs prescribed.View evidenceHide evidence

Why this verdict

The abstract-level profile supports that the home-healthcare sample was elderly on average, had substantial medication use, and that the paper treated medication regimen complexity as a distinct issue beyond medication count. The profile is less detailed on multimorbidity, but it does refer to comorbidity adjustment and frames polypharmacy/complex regimens as common in this population.

1

Study evidence

Excessive polypharmacy was associated with higher physician-perceived burden in home healthcare patients after covariate adjustment in mixed-effects models.Regression coefficient = 8.20 mm (95% CI: 4.07 to 12.33)

“a multicenter cross-sectional study”
2

Study evidence

Patients in the highest MRCI-J quartile had higher physician-perceived burden compared with other quartiles in adjusted models.regression coefficient = 7.84 mm (95% CI 3.61 to 12.07)

“medication regimen complexity index-Japanese (MRCI-J) scores (categorized into quartiles)”
Claim 5 of 5SupportedThe article says the findings suggest improving medication management in home health care requires not only reducing unnecessary medications but also simplifying regimens when clinically appropriate, and highlights physician-pharmacist collaboration as a potential way to reduce physician burden and support safe treatment.View evidenceHide evidence

Why this verdict

The paper profile says the authors suggested optimizing pharmacotherapy and interprofessional collaboration, including with community pharmacists, as potential ways to reduce physician workload, while calling for further research. The story frames this as suggested and potential rather than proven, which is broadly consistent with the abstract-level discussion, although the story could more explicitly mention that intervention effectiveness remains untested.

1

Study evidence

Excessive polypharmacy was associated with higher physician-perceived burden in home healthcare patients after covariate adjustment in mixed-effects models.Regression coefficient = 8.20 mm (95% CI: 4.07 to 12.33)

“a multicenter cross-sectional study”
2

Study evidence

Patients in the highest MRCI-J quartile had higher physician-perceived burden compared with other quartiles in adjusted models.regression coefficient = 7.84 mm (95% CI 3.61 to 12.07)

“medication regimen complexity index-Japanese (MRCI-J) scores (categorized into quartiles)”
Then look for missing context

Context layer

What the story left out

Important study details the story did not include.

  • Cross-sectional observational design limits causal inference; the study cannot establish that reducing medications or simplifying regimens will reduce physician burden.

    The story mentions the study was cross-sectional, but its caveats do not explicitly state the interpretation-changing limitation that causality and intervention effects cannot be established from these data.

    From Multicenter cross-sectional questionnaire study; Multicenter cross-sectional questionnaire study

  • At abstract depth, the profile does not specify the medication-count threshold defining excessive polypharmacy or the specific covariates included in adjustment models.

    The story gives a 10-or-more-medications threshold and names specific adjusted factors, but the supplied abstract-level profile says those details are not available from the abstract.

    From Multicenter cross-sectional questionnaire study; Multicenter cross-sectional questionnaire study

  • The authors called for further research to identify effective interventions for reducing physician workload.

    The story reports suggested medication simplification and collaboration, but it does not mention the paper-profile caveat that further research is needed to identify effective interventions.

    From Multicenter cross-sectional questionnaire study; Multicenter cross-sectional questionnaire study

5 things the story did carry across
  • The paper is a multicenter cross-sectional observational questionnaire study in Japanese home healthcare, with 503 patients included in analyses from seven clinics/hospitals.
  • The outcome was physicians’ subjective perceived clinical burden measured on a 0–100 mm visual analog scale.
  • Excessive polypharmacy was associated with higher physician-perceived burden after covariate adjustment, with an adjusted coefficient of 8.20 mm on the 0–100 mm VAS.
  • The highest MRCI-J quartile, representing particularly complex medication regimens, was associated with higher physician-perceived burden after covariate adjustment, with an adjusted coefficient of 7.84 mm.
  • The sample came from Japanese home healthcare clinics/hospitals, which may limit generalizability to other healthcare systems or countries.
Then read the study layer

Study layer

Study at a glance

Scan the study first. Expand only the parts you want to inspect.

Pieces of work

3

Evidence read

study summary

Lead result

human in vivo

1Lead resulthuman in vivoQuantify the association between polypharmacy level (number of medications) and physicians’ perceived burden in home healthcare patients.Multicenter cross-sectional questionnaire studyExpand

In plain English

Cross-sectional multicenter study of home healthcare patients in Japan found that patients meeting the study's definition of excessive polypharmacy had higher physician-rated perceived burden (0–100 mm VAS); in linear mixed-effects models with physician as a random effect and adjustment for covariates, excessive polypharmacy was associated with an adjusted regression coefficient of 8.20 mm (95% CI 4.07–12.33).

Key findings

  • Excessive polypharmacy was associated with higher physician-perceived burden in home healthcare patients after covariate adjustment in mixed-effects models.Regression coefficient = 8.20 mm (95% CI: 4.07 to 12.33)
“a multicenter cross-sectional study”
What this piece can’t prove
  • Cross-sectional observational design limits causal inference.
  • Physician-perceived burden is subjective and may vary across raters; measurement properties not described.
  • Study population and setting limited to Japanese home healthcare clinics/hospitals, which may limit external generalizability.

1 further detail could not be confirmed from the summary.

2human in vivoQuantify the association between medication regimen complexity (MRCI-J) and physicians’ perceived burden in home healthcare patients.Multicenter cross-sectional questionnaire studyExpand

In plain English

In a multicenter cross-sectional study of home healthcare patients in Japan (n=503), membership in the highest medication regimen complexity index–Japanese (MRCI-J) quartile was associated with a higher physician-perceived burden: adjusted regression coefficient = 7.84 mm (95% CI 3.61–12.07) on a 0–100 mm visual analog scale, estimated using linear mixed-effects models with physician as a random effect.

Key findings

  • Patients in the highest MRCI-J quartile had higher physician-perceived burden compared with other quartiles in adjusted models.regression coefficient = 7.84 mm (95% CI 3.61 to 12.07)
“medication regimen complexity index-Japanese (MRCI-J) scores (categorized into quartiles)”
What this piece can’t prove
  • Cross-sectional design precludes causal inference about the effect of regimen complexity on physician burden.
  • Abstract lacks detail on which covariates were included in adjusted models and on MRCI-J calculation specifics.
  • Outcome is based on physician self-report (VAS), which may be subjective and susceptible to reporting bias.
  • Study sample derived from seven clinics/hospitals in Japan; findings may not generalize to other healthcare settings or countries.
3human in vivoDescribe the study population and burden levels in Japanese home healthcare across multiple clinics/hospitals (sample characteristics, medication counts, burden score distributions).Cross-sectional study (multicenter home healthcare)Expand

In plain English

Multicenter cross-sectional description of a Japanese home healthcare sample (n=503 analyzed): mean patient age 82.4 years, median number of medications six, and mean physician-perceived burden 33.6 mm on a 0–100 mm VAS. Participant flow reported 506 patients collected and 503 included in analyses.

Key findings

  • Of 506 patients enrolled, 503 were analyzed; mean age 82.4 years; median number of medications six; mean physicians' perceived burden 33.6 mm on a 0–100 mm VAS.
“Data were collected from 506 patients, of whom 503 were included in the analyses.”
What this piece can’t prove

2 further details could not be confirmed from the summary.

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Papers considered

The selected paper, plus nearby candidates.

PubMed, Europe PMC, Crossref · 15 candidate papers

And 9 more candidates considered.