A Digital Tool to Help Doctors and Pharmacists Prescribe Medicines More Safely for Older Adults in Oman

This is a prospective, multi-phase interventional study evaluating the clinical utility and efficacy of POLYMED-a bilingual (Arabic/English) web-based, explainable-AI medication risk calculator-on optimizing geriatric medication safety in Muscat primary care. The primary objective is to evaluate whether deploying this clinical decision support software at the point of care systematically reduces potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) and polypharmacy among elderly patients. The study protocol integrates baseline parameterization with an active clinical intervention: * Phase 1 \& 2 (Baseline \& Tool Validation): A baseline cross-sectional assessment of elderly patients is conducted to quantify local prescribing burdens via international criteria (2023 AGS Beers / STOPP/START v3). These prospective baseline data are used to calibrate and validate the OPIP Score engine powering the POLYMED calculator. * Phase 3 (Active Intervention Phase): A prospective before-and-after trial evaluates the direct clinical effect of the tool. Clinicians are assigned by the study protocol to actively deploy the POLYMED calculator at the point of care during consultations. The trial measures the resulting changes in polypharmacy burden and medication spending compared to standard, routine care.

Inclusion Criteria: * • Aged 65 years or older at the time of recruitment * Registered in a chronic disease clinic in a participating primary healthcare centre * Receiving at least one long-term prescribed medication for chronic disease management * Able to provide informed consent independently Exclusion Criteria: * • Cognitive impairment or severe communication limitations precluding informed consent * Currently receiving palliative care * Currently admitted as an inpatient during the recruitment period * Major medication regimen change within the preceding four weeks