Streamlining the quality assessment in medication reviews: a biased random sampling approach using BRANT-MERQS criteria.

Background: Medication review type 3 (MR3) is a comprehensive and collaborative clinical service designed to optimize patient treatment. The BRussels ANTwerp Medication Review Quality score (BRANT-MERQS) assesses MR3 quality, incorporating 45 general and 4 project-specific criteria. Using all BRANT-MERQS criteria is laborious and time-intensive, necessitating the development of a more efficient, streamlined version that preserves reliability.

Aim: The aim of this study was to create a reliable and more efficient scoring system to evaluate the quality of MR3.

Method: A random but weighted subset of the BRANT-MERQS quality criteria was employed in repeated tests. This technique helped determine the required subsample size for accurate quality scores. The weighting was based on previously assessed importance of each criterion.

Results: Repeated sampling showed that a 10-criteria random subsample yielded dependable quality scores. The biased sampling approach (5-3-1 ratio, 5 for highly important criteria, 3 for moderately important criteria and 1 for less important criteria) offered improvements compared to an unbiased one.

Conclusion: A more efficient MR3 quality evaluation was developed using the BRANT-MERQS scoring table. A 10 criteria biased subsample, representing one-third of the full assessment, ensures both time efficiency and consistency in quality assessment.