Table 2 Feasibility screening assessment of draft interventions (guided by a subset of APEASE criteria^a)

Intervention 1: Patient-targeted intervention

  Strength: Practicable and affordable intervention.

  Limitation: Intervention does not target the pre-specified target behaviours directly (i.e. prescribing and dispensing of appropriate polypharmacy) and does not operationalise all selected BCTs (e.g. ‘Modelling or demonstrating of behaviour’, ‘Salience of consequences’).

  Limitation: Use of ‘Prompts/cues’ as a BCT is not directly targeting HCPs’ behaviour in this context.

  Limitation: Acceptability issues which are likely to limit the potential effectiveness of the intervention (e.g. if pharmacists advise patients to make an appointment when GPs do not feel that there are any prescribing issues that need to be addressed).

Intervention 2: General practice-based intervention

  Strength: Likely to be a practicable and acceptable intervention.

  Strength: Intervention can include all selected BCTs and target HCPs’ prescribing behaviour.

  Limitation: Potential affordability issues with video production costs.

  Limitation: Due to heterogeneity among older patients in terms of comorbidities and prescribed medications, more than one video may be required if intervention is to be effective.

Intervention 3: Community pharmacy-based intervention

  Strength: Likely to be an acceptable intervention as it acknowledges professional role/boundary related issues between the two groups of HCPs.

 Strength: Intervention can include all selected BCTs.

  Limitation: Potential affordability issues with video production costs.

  Limitation: Intervention is reliant on co-ordination of care between the GP practice and community pharmacy which may impact on practicability and effectiveness.

  Limitation: Due to heterogeneity among older patients in terms of comorbidities and prescribed medications, more than one video may be required if intervention is to be effective.