Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Nursing home

Size at least 30 residents, and nursing home status in accordance with German statutory social law.

Specialised nursing homes (nursing homes for ventilated patients, psychiatric homes, homes for alcohol or drug addicted patients)

Pharmacist

Serving a nursing home participating in the study, willing to be trained in performing the medication review if randomised to the intervention group.

Pharmacists who serve intervention and control group nursing homes at the same time

GP

Serving a nursing home participating in the study, willing to provide participants’ health data (current diagnoses, laboratory parameters), willing to participate in a special training if randomised to the intervention group

Currently participating in other ongoing activities about medication of nursing home residents, GPs who concurrently serve NHR in intervention and control homes

NHR

At least 65 years old and in long-term residential care

Residents with a life expectancy less than six months based on nurses’ judgement and, in case of doubt, additionally based on the GPs’ judgement, patients in vigilant coma